Venezuela Fans Celebrate 2026 World Baseball Classic Win vs. USA in Trending Video
Venezuelan baseball fans were part of a raucous celebration Tuesday night, as they watched their home nation defeat the United States 3-2 in the 2026 World Baseball Classic final.
Darwin González, the mayor of the Baruta Municipality in Venezuela's capital city of Caracas, took to social media to post video of fans wildly cheering while watching the conclusion of the game on a big screen in Alfredo Sadel Square:
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Their reaction echoed that of Atlanta Braves and Team Venezuela superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., who fell to his knees before frolicking to the infield to enjoy the historic moment with his teammates:
Despite boasting plenty of Major League Baseball talent, Venezuela was viewed as a fairly significant against a U.S. team that featured All-Stars and former MVP winners throughout their lineup.
For much of the night, it appeared as though Venezuela was going to cruise to an easy victory, as its unheralded pitching staff held the vaunted Americans scoreless until Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game.
All of the momentum was on the Americans' side at that point, but it didn't matter to Venezuela, as Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez smoked a go-ahead RBI double off Boston Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock in the top of the ninth.
Team USA didn't have any magic left, as Chicago Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia mowed down the Americans in order in the bottom of the ninth, finishing with a strikeout of Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, to preserve the 3-2 triumph.
It marked the first World Baseball Classic title for Venezuela in its first-ever appearance in the final, cementing the South American country as one of the top baseball-playing nations in the world.
As for the United States, it was another WBC disappointment, as it has now lost in the finals at back-to-back World Baseball Classics since winning its first and only title in 2017.
