Eugenio Suárez hit an RBI double in the ninth inning off Garrett Whitlock to score Javier Sanoja from second base, lifting Venezuela to a 3-2 victory over the United States in the World Baseball Classic final at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida, on March 17, 2026.[1][2]
Bryce Harper hit a solo home run off Andrés Machado in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score at 2-2 for the U.S. Wilyer Abreu had earlier hit a solo home run for Venezuela. The U.S. managed only two hits in the game.[1]
Suárez, a 34-year-old third baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball, pointed skyward after reaching second base and later discussed his faith in a postgame interview with FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "I just prayed at the time," Suárez said. "God is good, man. God is good."[1][3]
"I mean, what can I say about this? It’s amazing. God is good, all the glory is for the Lord Jesus. He was with us the whole time," Suárez added. "We have to glorify, put his name in front of everything. Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we [won] the championship today."[1]
The victory marked Venezuela's first WBC title. The nation had advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2023 tournaments but never further.[4][5]
Suárez had hit a solo home run against Italy the previous night, March 16, 2026, during Venezuela's semifinal win at the same venue.[1]
loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins, hosted the 2026 WBC semifinals and final, as well as the 2013 and 2017 championship games.[2][6]
Suárez described his teammates as family: "The union – we are together the whole time. We’re not just teammates, we’re all family. This team is awesome."[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "Venezuela shocks Team USA to win World Baseball Classic for first time", March 18, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports
- World Baseball Classic, "2026 World Baseball Classic Schedule", October 16, 2024, https://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/schedule
- MLB.com, "Eugenio Suárez Stats, Fantasy & News", accessed October 2024, https://www.mlb.com/player/eugenio-suarez-570558
- WBSC, "World Baseball Classic History", accessed October 2024, https://www.wbsc.org/en/world-baseball-classic
- Wikipedia, "World Baseball Classic", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic