In packed Pool D, Venezuela opens with important win over Netherlands

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 Friday over the Netherlands in the opening game of Pool D at loanDepot park.

“It is important that we believe that we can win,” manager Omar López said before the Classic started. “We are here for a reason. We have a purpose.”

While the Dominican Republic is widely considered to be the favorite in Pool D, the opener between these two teams has been viewed as one of the most important games in Miami, one that could ultimately determine whether either will advance to the quarterfinals.

“We had one bad inning and they took advantage of that,” Netherlands manager Andruw Jones said. “Now we know what to do and tomorrow we're going to have a better game.”

Luis Arraez and Willson Contreras drove in two runs apiece, while Javier Sanoja hit a solo home run in the second inning to give Venezuela a lead it would never relinquish.

“It’s a dream come true to be here,” said Contreras, who is playing in his first WBC. “My mindset is just to help the team. Try to control my emotions. Many people know that I'm very emotional and I did a good job in that sense today.”

The Netherlands will look for its first win on Saturday afternoon when it takes on Nicaragua (12 p.m. ET, Tubi), while Venezuela will take aim at another 2-0 start Saturday night against Israel (7 p.m. ET, FS2).

The Venezuelan fans in attendance let their voices be heard quickly, roaring in approval as Ronald Acuña Jr. roped a leadoff double on the first pitch he saw. Arraez drove him in with a soft single to left field, giving Venezuela a quick lead against Netherlands starter Antwone Kelly.

Druw Jones, son of Netherlands manager and Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, evened things up against Ranger Suárez in the second, lining a double to left field that scored Hendrik Clementina.

It didn’t stay tied long thanks to Sanoja, who clearly felt at home playing in his home ballpark. The Marlins’ super utility man jumped on Kelly’s first pitch – a 98.3 mph fastball – and launched it a Statcast-projected 370 feet, depositing it over the left-field wall into Venezuela’s bullpen.

Suárez pitched two innings of one-run ball for Venezuela, throwing 43 pitches in his Classic debut.

Kelly, the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect, allowed two runs over three innings, keeping the Netherlands in the game during his 48-pitch outing.

The game remained tight into the fifth, but Venezuela broke things open against right-hander Jaydenn Estanista, who immediately loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch, a walk and a bunt single. Estanista, a 24-year-old in the Phillies’ organization, walked Arraez to give Venezuela a 3-1 lead, ending the right-hander’s day with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Contreras singled in two runs to push the lead to four, while Wilyer Abreu added an RBI single later in the inning, capping the four-run frame for Venezuela, which carried a 6-1 lead into the sixth.

“This is always a fun tournament,” Andruw Jones said. “It's going to be one loser, one winner, and you don't want to be on the other side. We lost today. We know what we did wrong. Tomorrow is going to be another day, so we've got to go out there and correct all those mistakes.”

The younger Jones – the No. 2 pick in the 2022 Draft and the Diamondbacks’ No. 16 prospect – drove in his second run of the day with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but that was all the offense the Netherlands could manage against Venezuela’s bullpen.

“We didn't come out with the win today,” Druw Jones said. “But we're trying to do all those little things right and those will end up giving us wins.”

In total, five pitchers – Eduard Bazardo, Luinder Avila, José Buttó, Andrés Machado and Daniel Palencia – combined for seven innings of one-run ball in relief of Suárez, locking down the crucial opening victory for Venezuela. Some of the relievers in that group may not be household names, but López has total trust in them to get the job done.

“Sometimes names are not the ones that perform,” López said. “But the ones that go to the mound are the ones responsible for eliminating the rivals. We don't need big names to be successful in this championship.”