Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic title for the first time, beating the United States 3-2 in the championship game on March 17, 2026, at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida. The venue hosted the final round, including semifinals, as announced by Major League Baseball.[1][4]
Prior to the final, Venezuela advanced with a semifinal victory over Italy on March 16. The United States reached the championship after defeating the Dominican Republic in the other semifinal. Previous WBC champions are Japan (2006, 2009, 2023), Dominican Republic (2013) and United States (2017).[2]
Eduardo Rodriguez, a 32-year-old left-handed pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, started for Venezuela. Over the previous two MLB seasons (2023-2024), he posted a 4.71 ERA across 111 innings pitched.[3] Rodriguez kept the U.S. offense in check early, and Venezuela's bullpen followed with strong relief outings.
Venezuela took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning on a solo home run by outfielder Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox and a sacrifice fly by Maikel Garcia in the third. The United States answered with a two-run home run by Bryce Harper in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score at 2-2.
In the top of the ninth, Eugenio Suárez hit an RBI double off Garrett Whitlock to score the go-ahead run after a walk and stolen base. Daniel Palencia closed out the bottom of the ninth for the save, striking out the side.
The tournament ran from March 6 to 17, 2026, with 20 qualified teams competing in pools across Miami, Houston, San Juan and Tokyo before the final rounds in Miami.[1]
Sources
- Major League Baseball, "Press release: World Baseball Classic 2026 competition dates, venues announced", May 1, 2024, https://www.mlb.com/pressrelease/press-release-world-baseball-classic-2026-competition-dates-venues-announced
- Wikipedia, "World Baseball Classic", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic
- Major League Baseball, "Eduardo Rodriguez Stats", accessed October 2024, https://www.mlb.com/player/eduardo-rodriguez-608566
- Wikipedia, "loanDepot park", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoanDepot_park
