Game-used items from Venezuela's Classic victory heading to Hall

Venezuela’s triumph at the 2026 World Baseball Classic will be celebrated in Cooperstown.

Following their first WBC title, Venezuela is sending a slew of items to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.

Flame-throwing closer Daniel Palencia slammed the door in Tuesday night’s WBC title game, blowing away Team USA’s Roman Anthony with a 99.7 mph fastball to finish off a 3-2 victory. Palencia’s game-worn spikes, which have a special drawing of Venezuela’s iconic “Monumento al Mango,” will be sent to the Hall.

Team captain Salvador Perez, a four-time Classic participant, is donating his chest protector and shin guards to Cooperstown. Like Palencia’s cleats, Perez’s catching gear is specially designed to honor his home country. Both pieces of equipment are clad in Venezuela’s colors, and the chest protector has an emblem of the Venezuela flag with “Venezuela” written across it in script.

The three players responsible for Venezuela’s three runs in the title game will also be represented in Cooperstown. 2026 World Baseball Classic MVP Maikel Garcia, who drove in the first run with a sac fly, is sending his game-worn batting helmet. Wilyer Abreu supplied Venezuela’s second run with a solo homer; his elbow guard and shin guard are Cooperstown-bound.

Eugenio Suárez delivered the game-winning hit, rocking an RBI double into the left-center field gap in the top of the ninth inning to reclaim the lead. Suárez is sending the batting gloves that he wore during the title game -- and thus during that pivotal ninth-inning at-bat -- to the Hall.

And in his second World Baseball Classic, manager Omar Lopez steered Venezuela to the title. He did so with his home country top of mind: Lopez had the No. 58 written on his ballcap, representing the international code to call Venezuela. Now, that cap will also be enshrined in Cooperstown.