World Baseball Classic: Venezuela takes down Team USA in championship game stunner

Venezuela has its first World Baseball Classic title.Rebecca Blackwell photo
March 18, 2026

Once again, the final of the World Baseball Classic delivered a game worth remembering. This time, it was Venezuela breaking through against Team USA, with a win bound to resonate throughout the country.

The Venezuelans defeated the United States, 3-2, in Miami on Tuesday, capping off a tournament that showed baseball at its best. Tears were flowing as soon as Venezuela closer Daniel Palencia’s fastball reached the glove of Salvador Perez.

It was a victory that took fortitude from Venezuela, who held a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning only to lose it on an electric game-tying home run from Bryce Harper. With a fresh ballgame and an inning to go, Venezuela regrouped.

And then Eugenio Suarez put them back on top.

On the defensive side, it took an incredible performance from a gassed Venezuela pitching staff to keep a stacked Team USA lineup under thumb. The Venezuelans were so dominant throughout the night, a unit filled with All-Stars didn’t have a single at-bat with runners in scoring position for the entire game.

Follow along with Yahoo Sports as Team USA takes on Venezuela on Tuesday in the World Baseball Classic