For the first time ever, Venezuela has won the World Baseball Classic title after a thrilling victory over team USA.
On Tuesday night, Venezuela defeated the US 3-2 to win their historic title in Miami. Initially, Venezuela took a 2-0 lead thanks to a sacrifice fly by Maikel Garcia and a homerun by Wilyer Abreu.
During the game, the Venezuelan pitchers led by Eduardo Rodriguez were dominant, holding team USA to just two hits through the first seven innings.
In the eighth inning, the US fought back and Bryce Harper hit a dramatic two-run home run to tie the game at 2-2. Finally, Eugenio Suárez hit a double in the last inning that produced the winning run.
Pitcher Daniel Palencia secured the victory by retiring three straight American batters and closed the game with a powerful 100.7 mph fastball, striking out Roman Anthony.
While the Venezuelan team celebrated emotionally, the American team suffered another disappointing defeat, having also lost the previous WBC final to Japan three years ago.
After losing their final group match against the Dominican Republic, Venezuela rallied with consecutive comeback wins against Japan and Italy.
On the other hand, the American team lost their first match to Italy. They fought back and secured their position in the semi-finals and finals after beating Canada and the Dominican Republic.
“I said, ‘Damn. This is Salvador’s time,'” Venezuela manager Omar López said before the match.
“And this is a very special moment for him to help Venezuela become champions and say, ‘Well, I can retire now. I can go home. I did what I could for Venezuela.'” he added.
Eugenio Suárez said: “No one believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship. This is a celebration for the whole Venezuelan country.”
