03/17/26 10:20:00
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03/17 22:18 CDT Venezuela beats US 3-2 on Surez's 9th-inning double to win
first World Baseball Classic title
Venezuela beats US 3-2 on Surez's 9th-inning double to win first World
Baseball Classic title
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time,
rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2
Tuesday night on Eugenio Surez's tiebreaking double in the ninth.
Maikel Garcia's third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu's fifth-inning
homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring pro-Latin
America crowd. Meanwhile, left-hander Eduardo Rodrguez and lights-out
relievers limited the Americans to two hits through the seventh.
Bobby Witt Jr. walked with two outs in the eighth and Bryce Harper drove the
second straight changeup from Andrs Machado over the center-field fence for a
two-run homer that tied it. Harper slowly trotted around the bases and took
time at third to salute coach Dino Ebel.
Luis Arraez walked against Garrett Whitlock starting the ninth. Pinch-runner
Javier Sanoja stole second just ahead of catcher Will Smith's throw and came
home when Surez doubled to the left-center gap. Surez spread his arms wide
and pointed to the sky at second base while teammates streamed from the dugout
to greet Sanoja at the plate.
Daniel Palencia struck out two in a perfect bottom half to finish a
three-hitter and get his third save of the WBC, striking out Roman Anthony to
end the game. Venezuelans ran onto the infield to celebrate as the Americans
stared while leaning on their dugout railing.
"Nobody believed in Venezuela but now we win the championship," Surez said.
"This is a celebration for all the Venezuelan country."
Despite a heralded roster of stars led by Aaron Judge, Harper and Paul Skenes,
the U.S. lost its second straight final of baseball's premier international
event and remained without a title since 2017.
Judge was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the championship game and hit .222
with five RBIs in the tournament, while Harper batted .214 with three RBIs and
Alex Bregman .143 with four RBIs. The U.S. scored nine runs in the three
knockout-round games while batting .188.
Ahead of a matchup with political overtones, players and coaches avoided
discussing the government turmoil between the nations, heightened when the U.S.
military captured Venezuela President Nicols Maduro in January. The sellout
crowd of 36,190 at loanDepot park was heavily pro-Venezuela, with some booing
American players during the introductions.
Venezuela became the second Latin American nation to win the WBC, after the
Dominican Republic in 2013. The U.S. took the title in 2017 and lost the 2023
final to three-time champion Japan on this same field.
While the U.S., Japan and the Dominican Republic got much of the attention
ahead of the sixth edition of the 20-nation event, Venezuela's success was not
that surprising. Sixty-three players born in Venezuela appeared on Major League
Baseball opening-day rosters last year, second-most from outside the U.S.
behind the Dominican Republic's 100.
Venezuela went ahead in the third inning against McLean, getting the start
because Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers decided the two-time Cy Young Award
winner would make only a first-round appearance.
Salvador Perez sliced a first-pitch single and Ronald Acua Jr. walked with one
out. The runners advanced when McLean bounced a curveball, and Garcia followed
with a sac fly to center.
Abreu doubled the lead when he drove a fastball 414 feet to center. His helmet
fell off when he rounded second and he hopped in excitement as he neared the
plate, where he was greeted by a line of teammates.
Rodriguez allowed one hit in 4 1/3 innings before Venezuela turned to its
bullpen.
U.S. players had arrived at loanDepot park in game-worn U.S. Olympic hockey
jerseys coordinated by outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jack Hughes, who
scored the gold medal-winning goal against Canada last month.
In a darkened ballpark filled by fans wearing wristbands with festive blinking
lights, Judge and Arraez led the teams down the foul lines for the
introductions while carrying their nation's flags.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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