Subbing in for Chourio, Sanoja smacks go-ahead HR for Venezuela -- in his home ballpark!

MIAMI – When Javier Sanoja walked out to the field at loanDepot park shortly before Friday’s World Baseball Classic opener, it was hard for him not to notice the number of Venezuela fans in the crowd.

That was the moment his first WBC experience got real.

“I felt very happy and very proud when they were playing the anthem,” Sanoja said through a translator. “It was pretty emotional. After that, I switched and I was in game mode. … I was anxious when I saw the people in the stands at the beginning of the game, but then I was able to sit down, calm and collect and then go back to doing my thing.”

His “thing,” as it turned out, was hitting a home run in the second inning, snapping a 1-1 tie with the Netherlands that helped propel Venezuela to a 6-2 victory.

Sanoja, who was starting in center field in place of a banged-up Jackson Chourio, pounced on the first pitch he saw from Antwone Kelly, ripping a 98.3 mph fastball over the left-field wall.

“He's very impressive; he's a very talented player,” Willson Contreras said. “We trust our teammates. No one has to have a big name. No one has to be No. 1. We have to take into account the details. We have to play for the next player.”

The 23-year-old was the Marlins’ Swiss Army Knife in 2025, suiting up for 118 games while playing every position other than right field and catcher. He even pitched eight times.

“We need that kind of player for this kind of tournament,” Venezuela manager Omar López said. “He's a very flexible, very versatile player.”

When the decision was made to sit Chourio – who was hit by a pitch during an exhibition against the Nationals on Wednesday – against the Netherlands, Sanoja was the choice to play center field on Friday. Not that it was much of a decision; he was the only other “outfielder” on Venezuela’s roster, one of the perks of having a super-utility player – let alone one who won the National League Gold Glove a year ago.

“That's what happens when you put together a team and you have talent in your country,” López said. “Anyone can come and do the job. Javier is our Super Mario.”

Once he knew he would start, Sanoja spent Thursday night and Friday morning studying up on Kelly, the Netherlands starting pitcher and the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect.

The home run instantly became a career highlight for Sanoja, who said the rush felt similar to a game he had last August in the same ballpark.

“It felt like the game against the Yankees when I hit two homers, the same emotion,” Sanoja said. “Happily, we were able to get the result for the team.”