Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time after beating favourite team USA.
According to The Guardian, Venezuela defeated the United States 3-2 on Tuesday night to win historic World Baseball Classic title, a landmark triumph in a politically charged final that resonated far beyond the diamond.
Eugenio Suárez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning to seal a dramatic victory for the South American side at Miami’s LoanDepot Park.
After Daniel Palencia struck out Roman Anthony with a 100mph fastball for the final out, Venezuelan players poured onto the field, many draped in their national flag, celebrating a moment years in the making.
Suárez said afterwards, “Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship today. What can I say about this? God is good! Jesus, he was with us the whole time. We have to glorify [him], put his name in front of everything.”
The game, played before a sold-out crowd of 36,190 mostly pro-Venezuela spectators at Miami’s LoanDepot Park, had been framed from the outset by geopolitical tension.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since January, when US forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
Players insisted throughout the week that their focus remained on baseball, but the wider context was impossible to ignore.
