Havana, March 18 (RHC) – Venezuela made history, defying all odds by sweeping the United States and winning the World Baseball Classic for the first time with a 3-2 victory. The Venezuelans shattered the predictions last night, as the Americans had been the overwhelming favorites since the tournament began on March 5th, along with three-time defending champion Japan, who was eliminated by the South American team that also swept the tournament’s surprise package, Italy.
So the sixth World Baseball Classic has a new king. It all happened in a packed LoanDepot Park with more than 36,490 fans, where the Arepa Power, as the team managed by Omar López is known, shook off the ghosts of the previous edition. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the Americans prevailed 9-7 in the quarterfinals in a high-voltage offensive game.
In a fiercely contested game, left-handed starter Eduardo Rodríguez dominated the powerful U.S. lineup, while Venezuela’s players scored a home run by Wilyer Abreu in the fifth inning and a double by Eugenio Suárez gave them the final lead.
For Team USA, both runs came in the eighth inning when Bryce Harper woke his team from their slumber with a tremendous home run that gave them the only two runs of the game.
But in total, throughout the history of the Classic, the two teams have faced each other five times, with a relatively balanced record, although up to this point, the North American team held the advantage.
Their first encounter was in 2009. They played three times during the first round. The United States won the first game 15-6, but then Venezuela took the lead with two consecutive victories (5-3 and 10-6).
The two teams met again in 2017, in the second round, with the United States emerging victorious 4-2.
For this final, the United States started Nolan McLean, a 24-year-old right-handed pitcher who allowed only three runs against Italy in the group stage.
Four teams played in the semifinals: the United States, the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Venezuela. Two teams reached the final, and only one lifted the trophy.
The Classic concluded after several days of intense baseball (March 5-17). Twenty national teams participated in the tournament.
The results, when the stakes were highest, prove once again that the ball is round, but it comes in a square box.
