Venezuela won its first World Baseball Classic title on Tuesday night, taking down Team USA 3–2 in the final. What a thrilling way to end an awesome baseball tournament.
Venezuela has Eugenio Suárez partially to thank for the victory as the third baseman’s RBI double in the top of the ninth inning proved to be the difference. Venezuela led Team USA 2–0 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but Bryce Harper kept the United States’s chances alive with a two-run homer to tie the ball game.
That tie didn’t last long, though, as Suárez quickly answered by sending Javier Sanoja home from second with a blast to left-center. Sanoja had reached second by stealing the bag during Suárez’s at-bat. Suárez’s double gave Venezuela a 3–2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Danny Palencia retired three hitters to officially give Venezuela the crown.
While his teammates were running out of the dugout and jumping up in down in celebrations, Suárez emotionally walked out of the dugout holding the Venezuelan flag over his shoulders. He knelt on the ground and held his hands above his head holding his country’s flag. He had to soak in this historical moment for his country.
TEAM VENEZUELA 🇻🇪
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026
CHAMPS 🏆#WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC pic.twitter.com/1hDTJWcI5V
Suárez carried that passion over to his post-game interview with Fox’s Ken Rosenthal. The reporter asked Suárez what made Team Venezuela “so special.” Here’s what he had to say.
“The union, we are together the whole time. We’re not just teammates, we’re a family,” Suárez said. “This team is awesome. We are family here, that’s why we play with passion, with love, because we feel that jersey, we feel our country in front of us. This is why this is a lot for us as players, as a people, as human beings and as Venezuelan. Now, we are the champions.”
"We're not just teammates, we're family." 🫶#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/JDpHhQV4zw
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026
Venezuela was dominant during its 2026 WBC run. On Saturday, Venezuela shockingly beat the reigning WBC champions, Japan. Then, they took down Team Italy in the semifinals on Monday night, 4–2. Venezuela wasn’t favored by any means to win the WBC title, but they defied the odds and defeated some baseball giants.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eugenio Suárez Emotionally Explains Why Team Venezuela Is So Special After WBC Win.
