All articles tagged with #venezuela baseball
Ronald Acuña Jr. sparked a seventh-inning rally as Venezuela beat Italy 4-2 to reach the World Baseball Classic final, with Maikel García and Luis Arraez delivering RBI hits. Venezuela advances to its first-ever WBC final to face the United States, who are bidding for a second title after winning in 2017 and finishing runner-up in 2023, as Acuña's performance anchors a historic Venezuelan run.
Samurai Japan’s shift toward power hitting and offense backfired in an 8-5 World Baseball Classic quarterfinal loss to Venezuela, revealing a lack of depth beyond Ohtani, Suzuki, and Yoshida and a pitching staff built on undersized, control-focused arms. With Ohtani unavailable to pitch and questions about Japan’s approach, the team must redefine its identity—balancing offense with defense and stronger pitching if it hopes to contend in future international events like the Olympics and the next WBC.