Venezuela comes from behind to beat Italy, earn WBC final spot vs Team USA

Team USA has its hostile for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) last connected Tuesday night. 

Venezuela ended Italy’s magical WBC tally connected Monday night, coming from down to decision them, 4-2 astatine loanDepot park, earning a spot in the last against the United States. 

Italy was the astonishment squad of the tournament, taking down the U.S. successful excavation play earlier defeating Mexico to decorativeness a cleanable 4-0 successful Pool B.

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Eugenio Suárez of Team Venezuela celebrates arsenic helium rounds the bases aft hitting a solo location tally against Team Italy successful the 4th inning astatine loanDepot parkland connected March 16, 2026 successful Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

But that triumph implicit Mexico besides kept Team USA live successful the tournament, allowing them to beforehand to the quarterfinals, wherever they defeated Canada earlier earning a thrilling 2-1 semifinal triumph implicit the Dominican Republic connected Sunday nighttime to punch their summons backmost to the final.

While it felt lone close for the U.S. and Italy to conscionable erstwhile much to find who would triumph it each earlier the commencement of the 2026 MLB season, Venezuela had different things successful caput during the bottommost of the seventh inning.

Down 2-1 successful the contest, Venezuela recovered themselves threatening with a imaginable two-out rally aft Jackson Chourio, the Milwaukee Brewers’ rising star, singled to halfway field, allowing Andres Gimenez to beforehand to 3rd base.

That’s erstwhile Ronald Acuña Jr., the look of Venezuelan baseball, reached archetypal connected an infield azygous that allowed Gimenez to score, tying the crippled astatine 2 apiece. But the rally wasn’t implicit conscionable yet.

The Venezuelans caught occurrence aft Acuña’s single, arsenic Maikel Garcia singled to near field, scoring Chourio, and Luis Arraez brought location Acuña. With 2 outs, Venezuela seized each the momentum with a three-run seventh inning that made it 4-2.

Italy had been clinging to the pb since the bottommost of the 2nd inning, erstwhile they made the astir of a bases-loaded situation. J.J. D’Orazio walked location a run, portion Dante Nori grounded into a fielder’s prime that scored different to springiness Italy a 2-0 lead.

Slugger Eugenio Suarez got Venezuela connected the committee successful the apical of the 4th inning with a solo location tally to left-center field, cutting the shortage to one. But they weren’t capable to drawstring unneurotic further discourtesy until that seventh inning.

From there, Italy could ne'er get a rally started, arsenic Daniel Palencia yet unopen the doorway successful the ninth inning, striking retired the last 2 Italian hitters.

As Venezuela celebrated, Italy hung their heads, but their communicative this period has been thing abbreviated of incredible. Their espresso instrumentality successful the dugout — which skipper Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals helped crook into a location tally solemnisation — went viral arsenic they continued to person success. The roster featured established MLB stars, apical prospects and players with Italian heritage, earning praise from large leaguers passim the past 2 weeks.

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But it’s Venezuela, ripe with apical MLB talent, acceptable to instrumentality connected Team USA and starter Nolan McLean, who Italy touched up successful their excavation play game, connected Tuesday nighttime to find who holds the rights to telephone themselves the champion shot squad successful the satellite for astatine slightest the adjacent 3 years. 

Team USA and Venezuela volition look each different astatine 8 p.m. ET connected FOX. 

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