Venezuela upsets Team USA to win first World Baseball Classic title Venezuela claimed its first World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Team USA in the final game of the 2026 tournament. The decisive moment came in the ninth inning when Eugenio Suárez hit a clutch double to put Venezuela ahead, followed by Daniel Palencia’s game-ending save. The win marked the first WBC title in Venezuelan history and extended Team USA’s streak of finishing as runners-up, now in back-to-back years. The title game was a tense affair, with Venezuela leading 2-0 into the eighth inning before Bryce Harper tied the score with a two-run home run. The momentum shifted again in the ninth when Suárez’s double re-established the lead. Palencia then closed the door, securing the victory for Venezuela. The American lineup, which included stars like Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., and Kyle Schwarber, struggled to generate offense, managing only three hits in the contest. Venezuela’s path to the final was equally dramatic. The team staged a comeback in the semifinals against Italy, a Cinderella story that had advanced to the final four. Italy had defeated the Dominican Republic in a tense 2-1 semifinal, with Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony hitting solo home runs to secure the win. Team USA, meanwhile, had overcome a challenging pool play schedule, finishing second in Pool B with a 3-1 record. The U.S. narrowly avoided elimination when Italy’s victory over Mexico secured their spot in the semifinals, bypassing the complicated tiebreaker rules. The 2026 WBC bracket saw several standout performances and upsets. In the group stage, the Dominican Republic dominated with a 10-0 win over Korea, while the United States edged Canada 5-3.#venezuela #world_baseball_classic #team_usa #eugenio_suarez #daniel_palencia
