MLB March 17, 2026 · 10:58 PM ET

Venezuela Claims First World Baseball Classic Title, Defeats Team USA 3-2 in Instant Classic

Venezuela made history Tuesday night at loanDepot Park in Miami, defeating the United States 3-2 to win their first-ever World Baseball Classic championship in a game that will be debated for years.

Venezuela controlled the action early, with Eduardo Rodriguez delivering 4.1 masterful innings — allowing just one hit while striking out four — to keep the powerful American lineup off the board. Wilyer Abreu provided the big blow with a solo homer in the fifth, and Maikel Garcia drove in the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly in the third.

The Americans finally woke up when Bryce Harper crushed a two-run shot in the eighth to tie it at 2-2. But Venezuela answered in the ninth, as Eugenio Suárez delivered a go-ahead RBI double off Garrett Whitlock to restore the lead.

Andrés Machado earned the win, and Daniel Palencia closed it out for the save — ending the game on a controversial strikeout call that left USA’s Geraldo Perdomo furious at home plate.

For a Venezuelan squad that toppled defending champion Japan in the quarterfinals and Italy in the semis, this was a run — and a title — for the ages.