4 takeaways from Venezuela’s victory in the World Baseball Classic final against the United States

Daniel Palencia swung at Roman Anthony, pulled his glove into the air, punched his chest and then fell to his knees, overcome with emotion after winning Venezuela’s first-ever World Baseball Classic title against one of the best teams ever assembled. As his teammates ran to celebrate with him, they raised their arms to the sky. Eugenio Suárez, scorer of the decisive goal at the start of the ninth, came out with a flag of the country his players so proudly represented. The tears streaming down the faces of the Venezuelan coaches and players spoke volumes. In the other dugout, there was disbelief. After losing 3-2 to Japan in the 2023 WBC Final, the United States failed to avenge their defeat in another 3-2 defeat in the championship. Here are our takeaways. 1. Eugenio Suárez is the hero of Venezuela’s first WBC title, Rowan Kavner: Throughout the tournament, Venezuela had to demonstrate its resilience to accomplish what it had never accomplished before. The Venezuelans never wavered as Japan led 5-2 in the quarterfinals. They never panicked when Italy took a 2-0 lead in the semifinals. And in its first ever appearance at the Classic Baseball World Championship, after Bryce Harper hit the tying home run in the eighth inning that reversed the United States’ momentum, Venezuela fought back. The ninth inning began with a leadoff walk from Luis Arraez to Garrett Whitlock. Javier Sanoja then entered as a pinch runner and stole second base, putting the winning run into scoring position with no outs. Whitlock, who hadn’t allowed a run all tournament, then gave up an RBI double to Suárez to give Venezuela the lead again in the ninth. Suárez, who opened the scoring for Venezuela in its semifinal victory over Italy, stepped up to second base and pointed skyward as a crowd of 36,190 fans went wild. At that point, he represented each of his teammates. “We’re together all the time,” Suarez told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “We’re not just teammates, we’re a family. This team is a family here. We play with passion, with love.” 2. Eduardo Rodriguez stands out on U.S. roster that can’t avenge Kavner loss in 2023: The biggest difference for Team USA in this year’s WBC was the increase in talent among the pitching staff, but it was still one of the most decorated lineups to ever step foot on a baseball diamond. At least, on paper. As this unfolded, Rodriguez was just the latest WBC starter to give the all-star group fits as the D-backs veteran excelled on the biggest stage. In his first WBC outing, Rodríguez struck out five Dominican Republic batters in 2.2 innings, but also let Juan Soto and Ketel Marte take him deep. Home runs were also a problem for E-Rod last season, while posting an ERA above 5.00. However, facing another lineup featuring several of MLB’s top talents on Tuesday night, Rodríguez had no such issues. The left-hander split Team USA for 4.1 shutout innings while striking out four and allowing just two baserunners. This performance was vital for Venezuela’s bullpen, with the team playing back-to-back nights. And it’s just the latest example of the slow starts that have plagued the United States throughout the tournament. 3. Bryce Harper briefly wakes Kavner, Team USA’s sleeping offense: Harper looked toward center field, admired the moonshot for a moment, then raised his bat in the air as he resurrected a U.S. offense that seemed lifeless for most of Tuesday’s World Baseball Classic finale. Harper’s 432-foot shot to Andres Machado tied the game in the eighth inning and gave Team USA its first points, ending a stunning 12-inning scoreless drought for the Americans. Before the tour, the American team had gone scoreless in 18 of its last 19 innings. But the joy was fleeting. It’s almost incomprehensible, given the names in the lineup, that the United States reached the final despite (and not because of) its offense. Rodriguez’s gem Tuesday night continued a stunning trend for a U.S. roster filled with many of the game’s best players. And it looked a lot like the shocking pool loss to Italy, when veteran Michael Lorenzen held the United States scoreless for 4.2 innings. The last six starters to face the United States in the WBC – Tyler Viza (Great Britain), Manny Barreda (Mexico), Lorenzen (Italy), Michael Soroka (Canada), Luis Severino (Dominican Republic) and Rodríguez (Venezuela) – combined for a 1.35 ERA against Team USA. The United States was scoreless in its first four innings against Great Britain, scoreless in seven of eight innings against Mexico, scoreless in the first five innings against Italy, scoreless in five of its last six innings against Canada, scoreless in eight of nine innings against the Dominican Republic and scoreless in the first eight innings of the final against Venezuela. He finished the tournament ranked sixth in batting average and seventh in slugging among the 20 teams. Ultimately, offensive breakdowns were their undoing. 4. Wiyer Abreu gives Venezuela another big boost Deesha Thosar: Abreu didn’t just change the outlook for the championship game; he announced his arrival on the world stage. The Venezuelan outfielder pushed U.S. starter Nolan McLean deep, sending a solo shot into the deepest part of the stadium in center field and extending Venezuela’s lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning. Abreu has been nothing short of electric for Venezuela, becoming one of the stars of the tournament and a driving force behind the country’s success. In the biggest moments, Abreu came out on top in the clutch. No swing was stronger than his go-ahead, three-pointer in the quarterfinals against Japan, which toppled the WBC and propelled Venezuela into the semifinals. And in the final, his momentum was just enough for Venezuela until Suárez’s ninth-inning heroics.