Venezuela Beats US 3-2 on Suárez’s 9th-Inning Double to Win First World Baseball Classic Title

Venezuela Beats US 3-2 on Suárez’s 9th-Inning Double to Win First World Baseball Classic Title
Venezuela pitcher Daniel Palencia celebrates after the team defeated the United States in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic in Miami, on March 17, 2026. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
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MIAMI—Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2 Tuesday night on Eugenio Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the ninth.

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 crowd. Meanwhile, left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez and lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits through the seventh.