MIAMI -- With their ticket already punched to the quarterfinals, it might have been natural for Venezuela’s players to begin looking ahead at Wednesday’s rivalry game against the Dominican Republic. Not Ronald Acuña Jr., whose focus was squarely on Nicaragua on Monday night as his team tried to preserve its

MIAMI -- After watching Luis Arraez drive in two runs for Venezuela in its opening win, Willson Contreras wanted the world to know what he thought of his teammate. “Arraez is a great player,” Contreras said of Arraez, who owns a .317 career average and only 36 home runs. “He

Ronald Acuña Jr. can contribute on the baseball field in just about any way imaginable for a position player -- he can deliver a big hit, slug a monster home run, make a tremendous catch in the outfield or steal a big base.

The first full day with all four World Baseball Classic pools in action provided plenty of excitement and fodder. Here’s a look at nine stats and facts from some wild games. • Let’s start where we so often do when discussing the extraordinary: with Shohei Ohtani. He hit a grand

MIAMI -- A bruised left hand kept budding Brewers star Jackson Chourio out of Venezuela’s lineup for its opening game of the World Baseball Classic on Friday, a 6-2 victory over the Netherlands. Milwaukee officials, however, have “no concern” about his long-term availability, a source said. Chourio was struck on

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

MIAMI – Three years ago, Venezuela went undefeated in pool play, opening the World Baseball Classic with four straight victories before falling to the United States in the quarterfinals. The 2026 Classic started out in similar fashion for Venezuela, as a four-run fifth inning propelled them to a 6-2 win

MIAMI – Watching Team Venezuela take batting practice, it’s hard not to notice the star power on the roster. Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, Ranger Suarez and the Contreras brothers (Willson and William) are among those who have all accomplished great things during their Major League careers. But there’s one

Get ready to dive into World Baseball Classic pool play. The 2026 tournament, which gets underway this week, features four pools: A, B, C and D. Each of those pools consists of five teams battling it out in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each pool then advance

The ABS system is still a work in progress for players this spring as MLB prepares to use it for the first time in the regular season. It’s even more complicated for those participating in both World Baseball Classic and Spring Training games.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- There probably isn’t a team in the World Baseball Classic with more to prove than Venezuela, which has never played in a championship game and lost to the United States in the quarterfinals three years ago after going 4-0 in pool play. While the U.S.,

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo is ready to help Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He first discussed his willingness to pitch in the WBC with El Extrabase. On Sunday morning at Carpenter Complex, Luzardo reiterated that he told Team Venezuela that he would pitch if the club

Four years ago, Willson and William Contreras thought they had reached the professional pinnacle of brotherhood, representing the National League as teammates at the All-Star Game. It turns out that was just a prelude to what will take place starting this week, when they join forces for Team Venezuela in

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Before Ronald Acuña Jr. left Braves camp to join Team Venezuela for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, it made sense to ask him if participating in this same event three years ago influenced the historic success he had during his 2023 National League MVP season. “I

Venezuela is shaping up to have one of the best rosters at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but who will join captain Salvador Perez in the upcoming tournament? On Thursday, it was announced that Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia, Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu are joining Venezuela’s roster. In the

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Miguel Cabrera said he sent a text to Justin Verlander as soon as news emerged of Verlander’s return to the Tigers. “I told him I want to come back, too,” Cabrera said, followed by his familiar bellowing laugh.

Echoes of Trea Turner’s grand slam still haunt Venezuelan fans. It was a moment that brought a screeching halt to the aspirations of a team that seemed destined for greatness. But instead of advancing to the semifinals, they bowed out of the 2023 World Baseball Classic with a bitter quarterfinal

Below is a list of the players in every Major League organization who have been included on the rosters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Pitchers denoted with ^ are part of the Designated Pitcher Pool (DPP), a reserve of up to six pitchers per federation that can be called

The World Baseball Classic begins on Wednesday, March 4, at 10 p.m. ET in a game between Australia and Chinese Taipei. It will kick off a fortnight of absolute madness, with the best baseball players on the planet highly motivated by patriotism, pride and plain old competitiveness squaring off in

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Daisuke Matsuzaka carving up batters en route to back-to-back MVP Awards; Nelson Cruz’s triumphant blast; Adam Jones’ leaping home run robbery; Javier Báez’s no-look tag; and Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout with the championship on the line -- these are just some of the World Baseball Classic’s indelible moments that

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals’ clubhouse was going through its usual pregame activity Tuesday afternoon when a jolt of energy suddenly seemed to make its way into the room. Salvador Perez was back. The veteran catcher and leader of this Royals team returned to camp after his World Baseball Classic

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The bar has been raised for José Ruiz following the right-hander’s strong performance for Venezuela during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It was manager Pedro Grifol who originally mentioned the loftier expectations, and Ruiz completely agreed with the assessment upon his return to Camelback Ranch on Monday

MIAMI – Luis Arraez has not played a game yet at loanDepot park in a Marlins uniform. When the season opens on March 30, he already will have gotten comfortable in his new home ballpark. Arraez, who was traded to Miami from Minnesota in January, pummeled a pair of home

MIAMI – Jason Varitek did it in 2006. David Wright did it in 2013. A decade had passed since the last Team USA player had hit a grand slam in the World Baseball Classic. And when Trea Turner did it in the eighth inning on Saturday night at loanDepot park,