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Spirited Venezuela rallies in 9th to upend USA for 1st Classic championship

March 17, 2026

MIAMI – Eugenio Suárez flung his head back and looked up into the rafters. The sound bouncing off loanDepot park’s steel roof washed over the Venezuelan designated hitter as he held out his arms and motioned for more. More noise. More love. More joy.

Maikel Garcia bursts onto world stage with Classic MVP Award

March 17, 2026

With a breakout season for the Royals last year, Maikel Garcia made his name known around MLB. Now his name is resonating on the world stage. The 26-year-old infielder was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic after Venezuela defeated the tournament favorite USA with a thrilling 3-2 victory in

MVP Garcia headlines 2026 Classic All-Tournament Team

@bmags94
36 minutes ago

Venezuela defeated the United States in the 2026 World Baseball Classic title game, securing the country's first Classic win and bookending a tournament for the ages. At the tournament's conclusion, the All-Tournament team was announced, with votes coming from a global panel of broadcasters and media members who have covered

No stranger to big moments, Suárez forever a Venezuelan hero

@ssc627
17 minutes ago

Unpredictable as these things are, Eugenio Suárez's go-ahead RBI double in the ninth inning of the championship game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic -- the hit that won it all for Team Venezuela, 3-2, over Team USA, on Tuesday night -- was a long time coming.

Untouchable as Venezuela's closer, Palencia shuts the door with straight heat

Venezuelan right-hander struck out nine batters across five hitless innings in 2026 WBC
@bmags94
March 17, 2026

Daniel Palencia blew a 99.7 mph fastball past Team USA's Roman Anthony and chucked his glove to the skies. He had just secured Venezuela's first World Baseball Classic title, bookending a dominant run as his country's closer in the 2026 WBC. After Venezuela took the lead in the ninth inning

USA-Dominican Republic semifinal sets TV viewership record for Classic

@Spokes_Murphy
March 17, 2026

The TV viewership for Sunday’s star-studded semifinal between the USA and the Dominican Republic at loanDepot park in Miami made World Baseball Classic history. An audience of 7.369 million viewers took in Team USA’s thrilling 2-1 win on FS1 and FOX Deportes. That makes it the most-watched WBC broadcast in

Acuña, Garcia just two of the stars to hail from 'The Land of Ballplayers'

Welcome to 'The Land of Ballplayers'
March 17, 2026

This story was originally published in April 2024. Team Venezuela, led by some of the names you'll read about here, won the 2026 World Baseball Classic for the first time.

Here's who won each World Baseball Classic MVP

@@maxralph_
12:21 AM EDT

Venezuela made history on Tuesday night as it captured its first World Baseball Classic title in a 3-2 win over Team USA. There were no shortage of crucial contributions, but Venezuela's triumph would not have been possible without Maikel Garcia. That's why he was named WBC Most Valuable Player. Here

Acuña making up for lost World Series in World Baseball Classic 

March 17, 2026

MIAMI -- "When we went to the World Series," Ronald Acuña Jr. said earlier this week, "I wasn't there. Thank God I'm living this great moment in my career." When the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 2021, Acuña was reduced to spectator. A torn ACL had relegated the

Altuve shows his support for Venezuela during Classic title run

March 17, 2026

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Venezuela’s biggest fan in the World Baseball Classic will be back in his seats behind home plate on Tuesday night, cheering on his fellow countrymen in the championship game against the U.S. at loanDepot park in Miami (7 CT on FOX). Jose Altuve, the Astros’

Murakami homers in first game back from Classic: 'It was perfect'

March 17, 2026

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The World Baseball Classic ended in disappointment for Munetaka Murakami. His first day back with the White Sox went quite differently. “It was perfect,” Murakami said through a translator. “Just perfect.” Murakami was describing his first Cactus League home run, a fifth-inning solo shot against Athletics right-hander

You need to see what Adolis did at bat -- and you really need to see his truck

March 17, 2026

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Adolis García is a big man with big power and an even bigger truck. “It’s like a monster truck,” he said recently. He wants to bring it all to Philly this summer.

The 'crazy hour' dance that has carried Venezuela through the Classic

March 16, 2026

Before each game in the World Baseball Classic, Team Venezuela gathers in a circle in its dugout. As pitcher Eduard Bazardo pounds upon a special drum – known as el tambor – the players take turns jumping into and out of the circle to show off their moves. This isn’t

Cole slated to make spring debut Wednesday against Red Sox

March 17, 2026

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will see his first Grapefruit League action of the spring on Wednesday, when he’s scheduled to start against the Red Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The right-hander is slated to throw one inning in his first game action since undergoing Tommy

Back with Dodgers, Ohtani set for Cactus League pitching debut Wednesday

@sonjamchen
March 17, 2026

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Dodgers weren't expecting to welcome Shohei Ohtani back to the fold quite this soon. Ohtani, along with newly anointed Opening Day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was away from Dodgers camp for most of Spring Training while playing for Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic. Japan had

Suzuki gets encouraging update as Opening Day remains in play

March 17, 2026

MESA, Ariz. -- The fact that Seiya Suzuki was in a joking mood on Tuesday afternoon seemed to be as good a sign as any. A few days after the Cubs outfielder was forced to exit the World Baseball Classic with a right knee injury, and a day after limping

Greene opens up about elbow injury, rehab plan

March 17, 2026

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- For the first time since he underwent arthroscopic surgery last week to remove bone chips from his right elbow, Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene returned to the team complex Tuesday for rehabilitation. After the procedure, performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Greene will not return

Benge's bid to make Mets' Opening Day roster coming down to wire

March 17, 2026

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The friends and lockermates that used to surround Carson Benge are mostly gone. Those who once joined Benge on the clubhouse couches for chess matches or simple conversations -- A.J. Ewing, Nick Morabito, Jacob Reimer, Ryan Clifford and the like -- have all been reassigned

History of the World Baseball Classic title game

@hellapalattella
March 17, 2026

Every time, the World Baseball Classic championship seems to create another legend. He may be best remembered in America for his days with the Red Sox, but Daisuke Matsuzaka rose to the occasion in the WBC's biggest moments, winning the tournament MVP Award twice. Before Edwin Encarnación was known as

Team USA wears game-worn USA men's hockey jerseys ahead of Classic final

@Spokes_Murphy
March 17, 2026

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa hinted a few days ago that a shipment of game-worn jerseys from the Olympic gold medal-winning USA men’s hockey team was on its way to his club. Sure enough, those hockey jerseys have arrived in Miami, just in time for Tuesday night’s World Baseball Classic

Mayer ‘checking all the boxes’ in pursuit of 2B job

March 17, 2026

FORT MYERS, Fla. – It was almost a month ago Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that the baton was being passed to Marcelo Mayer, but that the fourth overall pick in the 2021 Draft would have to run with it if he wanted to make the team as the

Resilient Ragans named Royals' Opening Day starter for 3rd straight year

March 17, 2026

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The text from Cole Ragans to his wife Tori on Tuesday afternoon was short and simple, but the excitement was in the exclamation points. "I get to start Opening Day!!!!!” "Like five exclamation points,” Ragans explained later. “It never gets old. It’s always exciting.”

MLB Together, former players pitch in at Miami Beach cleanup

March 17, 2026

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – On a beautiful sunny day in South Florida, Major League Baseball took steps to ensure more great beach days were in the future for the host city of the 2026 World Baseball Classic final. The league organized the MLB Together beach cleanup with Clean Miami Beach,