A double by Eugenio Suarez in the top of the ninth inning scored pinch runner Javier Sanoja for the game-winning run, as Venezuela defeated the United States, 3-2, to win the World Baseball Classic at loaDepot Park in Miami. It was the country's first WBC title and the second consecutive final the U.S. lost (2023, Japan).
The story of the game and much of the WBC was the moribund U.S. offense. Loaded with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, they were limited to three hits, with a Bryce Harper two-run homer tying the game in the bottom of the eighth — a timely hit, the type the U.S. got by on for much of the tournament, but not enough against a spirited Venezuela squad.
My take: Good for Venezuela. This really meant nothing to U.S. fans, with middling support for the team in U.S. stadiums. The international crowds were electric and were integral to the vibrant atmosphere in the tournament, which was good for the sport overall, especially in the Caribbean.
THE ASYLUM
Venezuela WBC champs
A double by Eugenio Suarez in the top of the ninth inning scored pinch runner Javier Sanoja for the game-winning run, as Venezuela defeated the United States, 3-2, to win the World Baseball Classic at loaDepot Park in Miami. It was the country's first WBC title and the second consecutive final the U.S. lost (2023, Japan).
The story of the game and much of the WBC was the moribund U.S. offense. Loaded with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, they were limited to three hits, with a Bryce Harper two-run homer tying the game in the bottom of the eighth — a timely hit, the type the U.S. got by on for much of the tournament, but not enough against a spirited Venezuela squad.
My take: Good for Venezuela. This really meant nothing to U.S. fans, with middling support for the team in U.S. stadiums. The international crowds were electric and were integral to the vibrant atmosphere in the tournament, which was good for the sport overall, especially in the Caribbean.
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