Less than three full months after President Donald Trump captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the two nations met in the 2026 World Baseball Classic final on March 17. The championship matchup did not disappoint, delivering a compelling finale to the tournament’s sixth iteration. 

In front of a roaring Miami crowd at LoanDepot Park, the two teams were presented in a beautiful pre-game ceremony. Team USA captain Aaron Judge carried the American Flag while San Francisco Giants’ infielder Luis Arráez held the Venezuelan flag. Both teams were introduced, and highlights of the tournament were shown on the field. Each respective anthem was played before the first pitch. 

New York Mets prospect Nolan McLean got the start for the Americans, while veteran southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez got the nod for Venezuela. Pitching depth would ultimately prove to be the difference in the championship. 

Team Venezuela was the first to score with a third-inning sacrifice fly. Later, in the fifth inning, Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu doubled the lead with a dead-center field solo shot. The Venezuelans shut out a befuddled American lineup through seven innings, and the possibility of shutting out a stacked USA team loomed large entering the eighth inning. 

Following a two-out walk to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the tying run came to the plate in Bryce Harper. On a 1-0 count, Harper sat on an Andrés Machado changeup that hung over the middle of the plate and hit an electric game-tying bomb. 

Harper flipped his bat and trotted around the bases. Harper saluted his dugout rounding third base and pointing to the American flag on his left sleeve. He met Aaron Judge at home plate. It was an exhilarating moment, and the entire momentum of the ballgame shifted dramatically. At least for the moment. 

With an opportunity to continue the inning, Aaron Judge struck out, and the game headed to the ninth inning tied at two. 

Eugenio Suárez provided an immediate counterpunch in the top half of the ninth inning — driving in pinch runner Javier Sanoja, running for Luis Arráez, who reached base on a leadoff walk. The Venezuelans would shut down the Americans in the bottom half of the inning and win their first-ever World Baseball Classic. 

Kansas City Royals Infielder Maikel Garcia was named tournament MVP. Garcia hit .385 in the tournament and played stellar defense, as well as driving in the first run of the championship on a sac fly. 

The World Baseball Classic, now in its sixth iteration, has grown into the premier international baseball tournament. Occurring every three years, the WBC features 20 national baseball teams competing in best-on-best international play. The first WBC was held in 2006. Japan has won the tournament more than any other country, with three titles, and was the defending champion this year following its 2023 final victory over the United States. 

The 2026 version lived up to the hype and more. On paper, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Japan were all selected as heavy favorites to win the tournament due to their All-Star-filled rosters. 

However, the tournament was not without a few flaws or at least subjects of controversy. 

Puerto Rico, managed by former St. Louis Cardinal Yadier Molina, was at the center of the controversial discourse, as star players Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa were denied injury insurance coverage. In total, at least eight players were not eligible to play for Puerto Rico because Major League Baseball seeks to protect teams from paying the salaries of players injured during the tournament. PR fans were rightfully upset following their 8-6 quarterfinal exit to Italy. 

Similarly, the Automatic Balls and Strikes Challenge system was not incorporated into the tournament because it uses the MLB rules from the previous season. As a result, fans were furious when a low-third strike call ended the Dominican Republic’s tournament run with Geraldo Perdomo at the plate and the tying run at third base in the semi-finals versus the USA. 

Moreover, Team USA Manager Mark DeRosa faced criticism after demonstrating a lack of understanding of the logistics of tournament pool play. After defeating Brazil and Great Britain in their first two pool play games, DeRosa falsely asserted on MLB Network that the U.S. had already clinched a quarterfinal berth when that was not the case. 

The next day, after having celebrated the night before, the Americans came out sluggish against Italy, with many of their stars resting. After an embarrassing 8-6 loss to an unsuspecting Italian team, the Americans’ hopes of advancing were left down to the Mexico-Italy game the next day. Thankfully, the Italians once again took care of business, advancing both teams to the quarterfinals. 

For Team USA fans, the ending of the tournament was nothing short of disappointing. From the beginning, anything short of a gold medal was going to be a failure. This year’s team was loaded with Paul Skenes, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Roman Anthony and Cal Raleigh. However, even with all that star power, the team never played with much emotion or enthusiasm. Despite making it to the finals, it felt like only a matter of time until a hungrier, more visibly emotional team would deliver the final blow to the Americans. 

The 2026 tournament was a massive commercial success. A record 10,784,000 viewers watched the WBC final, with viewership peaking at 12,148,000. It was the most-watched WBC tournament ever. Across 47 total games played, the 2026 WBC averaged about 1,294,000 viewers per game.

While the United States was unable to take home the gold for the second consecutive World Baseball Classic, the 2026 edition was nothing short of a remarkable success. As the sport continues to grow, Americans take pride in the fact that America’s pastime has become an international phenomenon. 

There is something special about watching the best players in the world compete for their countries in any given sport, and baseball has finally seemed to carve its niche into that market. Within the greater geopolitical context, these tournaments continue to offer an outlet for countries to defend their pride and their sovereignty. 

A Venezuelan WBC win was not only a symbolic moment of national pride, but also great for the game itself. America’s pastime continues to grow on the world’s stage.