This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MESA, Ariz. -- Daniel Palencia threw his red glove skyward, let out a howl and was quickly in the middle of a pile of players celebrating Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic triumph over Team USA in Tuesday night’s title game. The Cubs' closer secured the win for his country with an overpowering ninth inning.
Back in Arizona, Palencia’s team saw all the highlights of Palencia’s heroics.
“I was really happy for Danny,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We were all really happy for him. That’s why you play in the tournament -- for moments like that. In your baseball career, that’s a moment that Danny’s going to remember and a three-week experience that Danny is really going to remember. He got a lot out of it.”
The Cubs had a notable group of players involved in this year’s Classic. Here were their five best moments throughout the tournament.
2026 World Baseball Classic
Final presented by Capital One
• Champs! Venezuela beats USA in final
• Box score: Venezuela 3, USA 2
• Maikel Garcia named Classic MVP
• '26 Classic All-Tournament Team
• Final bracket, full results
• Complete coverage
Palencia’s historic save
Palencia needed just 11 pitches to cruise through Kyle Schwarber, Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 3-2 championship victory. The hard-throwing righty ended his outing with his fastest pitch of the evening -- firing a 99.7 mph heater beyond Anthony’s bat for the title-clinching strikeout.
Overall in the Classic, Palencia ended with nine strikeouts and no runs or hits allowed in five innings. He picked up saves in the quarterfinals (vs. Japan), the semifinals (Italy) and the championship. Across those last three appearances, Palencia faced the minimum and struck out six of the nine batters he faced.
PCA’s late homer barrage
During pool play on March 10, the United States lost to Team Italy, 8-6, but Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong did what he could to ignite a late comeback. Down 8-1 in the seventh, Crow-Armstrong launched a three-run homer to right. Down 8-5 in the ninth, he went yard again -- a solo shot for the second blast.
That outburst was part of an overall strong tournament for Crow-Armstrong, potentially adding to the outfielder’s “reservoir of confidence,” as Counsell phrased it. In six games, Crow-Armstrong had six RBIs (only Anthony had more with seven) and ranked second to Henderson on Team USA in slugging percentage (.632) and OPS (.965).
Seiya’s power surge
Suzuki’s Classic stint with Samurai Japan had a sour ending (exiting the quarterfinal loss to Venezuela with a right knee injury), but he enjoyed a strong tourney overall. Notably, the Cubs’ star right fielder belted two home runs in an 8-6 win over Korea on March 7 during pool play. Suzuki slugged a two-run homer in the first inning, added a solo shot in the third (after Shohei Ohtani also homered in the frame) and later drew a bases-loaded walk in the win.
Assad quiets Great Britain
Javier Assad had a breakout showing with Team Mexico in the '23 tournament and returned as part of his country’s rotation in this year’s Classic. While the righty made two starts, his best performance came on March 6 in pool play against Great Britain. Assad worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out two and allowing only two hits to put Mexico on a path to an 8-2 victory.
Bregman sparks rally
It was a quiet Classic overall for Alex Bregman, who joined the Cubs via a five-year, $175 million contract over the offseason. That said, he did have a hand in Team USA’s 5-3 win over Canada on Friday in the semifinals. With the United States holding a 1-0 lead in the third, Bregman delivered an infield single with the bases loaded, leading to a pair of runs. Crow-Armstrong later came through with an RBI single in the sixth inning.