What a tournament and what an incredible finish.
On Tuesday night, we witnessed one of the greatest accomplishments in recent baseball history. After defying all odds, Venezuela defeated the USA in an electric Championship Game. This marks the first time the country has lifted the trophy, and you can’t help but cheer. 2026 has been a difficult year for Venezuelans; having been at the center of the political stage, they now own the baseball one.
Eduardo Rodriguez was tasked with navigating through an intimidating lineup, and he delivered. The D-Backs starter dazzled, spinning a 4.1 IP, 4 K, 0 ER performance while allowing only two baserunners. It was a treat watching the lefty go deep into his old bag of tricks to stifle a star-studded lineup. Maikel Garcia brought in the first run of the game with a sac fly in the top of the third, followed by a Wilyer Abreu laser that had just enough to leave the ballpark.
Omar Lopez was excellent in managing the team’s early lead. To everyone’s surprise, the Americans looked overmatched until Bryce Harper delivered what, at the time, felt like a gut-punch swing in the bottom of the 8th. The Phillies’ 1B took Andres Machado deep with two outs in the inning, and it seemed it would spark a comeback for the USA. However, Aaron Judge’s woes continued as he struck out, allowing Venezuela’s hopes to linger.
Mark DeRosa brought in Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock to potentially give the U.S. a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth, but Eugenio Suarez had other plans. The newly acquired Red roped one to deep left field, driving in Javier Sanoja and putting the “Vinotinto” three outs away from a title. Daniel Palencia looked untouchable; after dominating Kyle Schwarber, Gunnar Henderson, and Roman Anthony, the rest was history.
After everything this country has been through in recent weeks, one can only feel emotional watching them celebrate, cry, and jump for joy, wrapped in their flag. This meant more than just baseball for Venezuela—this was everything.
Que Viva el Beisbol.
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