In the final game of the World Baseball Classic, Venezuela won their first world championship in what was an upset victory over the heavily favored United States.
With star pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and Ranger Suarez on the roster, and position players like Salvador Perez, Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Luis Arraez, and Eugenio Suarez on the offensive side, the Venezuelans were sure to get far in the tournament, but were not expected to win at all.
The World Baseball Classic is baseball’s equivalent to the FIFA World Cup, with national teams often consisting of professional players from the MLB, foreign leagues such as the NPB, KBO, and CPBL, and even minor, independent, and amateur leagues.
First held in 2006, the tournament had only seen three nations become world champions prior to Venezuela’s underdog win: Japan (2006, 2009, and 2023), the Dominican Republic (2013), and the United States (2017).
With reputations as past champions, all three nations were expected to dominate the tournament, with Japan, being the reigning champions, having been expected to face off against the United States in a rematch of the 2023 finals.
However, issues in the tournament arose early on, with insurance companies tied to the MLB denying coverage to many star players who initially planned on representing their nations. In particular, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela were hit hard. Venezuela was hit harder than most, with star players Jose Altuve and Miguel Rojas being denied coverage.
One NECC student, Aidan Lohan, felt as though the Dominican Republic should’ve won the tournament, and openly criticized the MLB’s insurers, stating “It’s awful. Players shouldn’t have to miss this tournament because of an insurance policy.”
Lohan is not alone in feeling this way, with many baseball fans expressing disappointment on social media, and he specifically pointed out that players like Yainer Diaz and Elly De La Cruz would’ve helped the Dominican team go farther than their knockout in the semifinals.
Venezuela’s path to becoming world champions was anything but easy. Facing off against the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Israel in the round-robin pool stage, the Venezuelans won three of their four games and advanced to the knockout stage, only losing to the Dominican Republic.
Venezuela then knocked out Japan, the reigning champions, in the quarterfinals, before defeating Italy, another underdog team, in the semifinals.
Many on social media have expressed their belief that the Italian team likely would have advanced farther had an injury to catcher Kyle Teel not occurred.
In the finals, Venezuelan infielder Maikel Garcia’s third inning sacrifice fly allowed catcher Salvador Perez to score, bringing the score to 1-0.
This was followed by a homer to center field by Venezuelan outfielder Wilyer Abreu in the fifth inning to make it a 2-0 ballgame. An eighth inning attempt to surge from behind resulted in a two-run homer from American outfielder Bryce Harper to bring him and infielder Bobby Witt Jr. in to score, tying it up at 2-2. However, the Americans could not continue their rally into the ninth, when Venezuelan infielder Eugenio Suarez doubled to bring in pinch runner Javier Sanoja to end the game with a score of 3-2.
John Mulcahy, the Sports Editor for the Observer, stated that although he felt disappointed that the American team did not win, “it was still pretty cool to see Venezuela win.”
Many expected the Americans to win, but it was simply not in the cards this time around. NECC student Shane Smith feels that the game was “a pretty close matchup until the end.”
For the Venezuelans, this matchup was their magnum opus, as it was their first tournament championship in any international tournament, and it was a huge achievement for those on the team.
Venezuela has been in political and economic turmoil since 2010, with a massive crisis erupting following the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013. Many of those in Venezuela with access to social media have expressed gratitude to the baseball team, as their win was a symbol of hope.
Viewers of the World Baseball Classic may remember this year’s tournament as controversial but still exciting, but for Venezuelans, this tournament marked a turning point in the history of baseball in their country, and serves as a beacon of hope for those who wish to see their nation return to stability once more.
