Venezuela beats Team USA 3-2 on Suárez’s 9th-inning double to win first World Baseball Classic title

AP — Eugenio Suárez and his Venezuelan teammates stood on the stage behind second base with shiny medals draped over their proud chests, belting out their national anthem accompanied by tens of thousands of fans who remained in the ballpark a half-hour after the final out.

Back home, people were singing their praises, too.

Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time Tuesday night, beating the United States 3-2 in the championship game on Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the top of the ninth inning.

Bryce Harper’s two-run homer with two outs in the eighth tied the score for the U.S., but Suárez hit a go-ahead double in the ninth and Daniel Palencia pitched a perfect bottom half.

Maikel Garcia’s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu’s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring, pro-Latin America sellout crowd of 36,190 at loanDepot park. Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez and a string of lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits through the seventh.

Bobby Witt Jr. walked with two outs in the eighth and Harper drove the second straight changeup from Andrés Machado over the center-field fence.

Boston’s Garrett Whitlock started the ninth instead of San Diego’s Mason Miller, perhaps baseball’s best reliever, because U.S. manager Mark DeRosa promised the Padres he would use Miller only in a save situation.

Luis Arraez walked, and pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second just ahead of catcher Will Smith’s one-hop throw. Sanoja came home when Suárez doubled to the left-center gap on a full-count changeup. Suárez spread his arms wide and pointed to the sky at second base while teammates streamed from the dugout to greet Sanoja at the plate.

Despite a heralded roster of stars led by Aaron Judge, Harper and Paul Skenes, the U.S. remained without a title since 2017. DeRosa also led the 2023 American team that lost the final 3-2 to Japan and would come back for 2029 if offered another chance.

Rodríguez (4 1/3 innings) was followed by Eduard Bazardo (two outs), José Buttó (three), Angel Zerpa (two), Machado (four) and Palencia.

Judge was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and hit .222 with five RBIs in the tournament, while Harper improved to .214 with three RBIs with two hits against Venezuela. Alex Bregman batted .143 with four RBIs. The U.S. scored nine runs in the three knockout-round games while batting .188.

_______