Before the tournament, several observers described the American team as the best baseball team ever assembled. After the loss in the World Baseball Classic final to Venezuela, it was not the time to strut.
• Also read: Venezuela holds off USA to win World Baseball Classic
This is the second time in a row that the United States has narrowly lost, by identical scores of 3-2, in the final of the event. In 2023, it was Japan who had the upper hand when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout on three strikes.
This time, in Miami, it was Venezuelan starter Eduardo Rodriguez, a gunner who had an earned run average above 5 during his last two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who muzzled the American attack.
It was also a double from Eugenio Suarez in the ninth inning that produced the winning run and broke the hearts of the Americans.
The United States won the World Classic for the first and only time in 2017 and has been looking for solutions ever since.
Attack broken down
In the last two games against Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, the powerful American offense has only 10 hits in 64 at-bats (.156), with 24 strikeouts. In the final, only three hits were obtained and besides a two-run home run by Bryce Harper in the eighth inning, no runner crossed the first base.
“It’s obviously very disappointing,” conceded New York Yankees captain and representative Aaron Judge.
The one who finished with a batting average of .222 in seven games clearly had difficulty accepting the verdict.
“We all came here wearing this uniform to win a gold medal and we didn’t succeed. They made their shots. They worked the corners on both ends and when we had good throws, we hit fly balls or ground balls. This can’t happen. If you get a good throw, you have to do something. We didn’t generate anything offensively,” noted the man who will now join his team.
“I’m still on fire to represent the Yankees, but right now I’m frustrated. I’m already looking forward to the next time I wear the blue, white and red,” he said.
Trump gets involved
When Venezuela qualified for the final by defeating the Italians, US President Donald Trump entered the picture by writing on Truth Social that “lots of good things are happening in Venezuela at the moment. I wonder where this magic comes from.”
He even referred to this country as the 51st state, as he did so often with regard to Canada.
On January 3, an American military intervention captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Before the final, Venezuelan team manager Omar Lopez implored journalists not to ask him any more questions about politics.
His men finally took care of the job on the sporting level.
“They played a great match. There are no ifs and buts. They beat us and they deserved it, this victory,” concluded Kyle Schwarber with class.
