Eugenio Suárez hit an RBI double in the ninth inning at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida, on March 17, 2026, to give Venezuela a 3-2 victory over the United States in the World Baseball Classic final.
Suárez drove a 3-2 changeup from Garrett Whitlock to left-center field after Javier Sanoja stole second base, scoring the go-ahead run. Suárez, a third baseman for Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks,[1] immediately pointed to the sky upon reaching second base.
Wilyer Abreu hit a solo home run earlier in the game to extend Venezuela's lead. Bryce Harper answered with a solo home run off Andrés Machado in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs, tying the score at 2-2. Team USA had managed just two hits prior to Harper's blast.
The win marked Venezuela's first World Baseball Classic championship. The country previously recorded its best finishes of fifth place in both the 2009 and 2017 editions.[3]
Following the game, Suárez credited his faith in an interview with FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "I mean, what can I say about this? It’s amazing. God is good, all the glory is for the Lord Jesus. He was with us the whole time," Suárez said.
"We have to glorify, put his name in front of everything. Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we won the championship today. This is a celebration for all of Venezuela," he added.
Asked about pointing skyward after his hit, Suárez replied: "I just prayed at the time. I pointed to my family out there—they were happy for me. God is good, man. God is good."
The night before, on March 16, 2026, Suárez hit a solo home run to help Venezuela defeat Italy in the semifinals at the same venue. He described his teammates as family, saying they played with passion for their country.
The World Baseball Classic is a quadrennial international tournament co-organized by Major League Baseball and the World Baseball Softball Confederation.[2] loanDepot park hosted Pool D and later stages of the 2026 edition.[4][5]
Sources
- MLB.com
Eugenio Suárez Stats, Fantasy & News
Accessed October 2024
https://www.mlb.com/player/eugenio-suarez-570318 - WBSC
2026 World Baseball Classic®
Accessed October 2024
https://www.wbsc.org/en/event/world-baseball-classic-2026/event-overview - Wikimedia Foundation
World Baseball Classic
Accessed October 2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic - Miami Marlins
loanDepot park
Accessed October 2024
https://www.marlins.com/ballpark - ESPN
World Baseball Classic 2026: Dates, sites announced including Houston, Miami and more
May 15, 2024
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40102281/world-baseball-classic-2026-dates-sites-announced-houston-miami-taiwan-japan