Venezuela raised its championship banner to the rafters after the three-week-long international baseball tournament, the World Baseball Classic (WBC), on March 17th, 2026. For each game, over 25,000 fans filled stadiums with their own nation’s pride. 

The first round of the WBC began with four countries playing in their own pools: A, B, C, and D. The top two countries from each pool advance to the knockout stage: Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the championship.

In Pool C, the sold-out Tokyo Dome overflowed with cheers for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Major Leaguers representing Samurai Japan. In their second game, Ohtani homered to put Japan up by 4 in the second inning. Next up, Japanese outfielders secured a win over Chinese Taipei by 13-0 and clinched the first seed. The second seed in Pool C, Team Korea, finally overcame two decades of early-round exits, joining the others in Miami for the quarterfinals. 

However, both Japan’s and Korea’s pursuit of the championship ended early in the Quarterfinals. Team Venezuela’s right fielder, Wilyer Abreu, launched a home run out of LoanDepot Park, securing the win over the defending champion. 

Team Korea’s journey in the WBC ended with a tough 10-0 loss in a mercy game in the 7th inning. Christopher Sanchez, the Dominican left-handed pitcher, dominated the game with his 95.4 mph (153.3 km/h) sinker, allowing only a single hit by Junghoo Lee. Despite the devastating loss in Miami, Korea showed a lights-out performance against pool teams, as first baseman Bo Kyeong Moon recorded 11 RBIs (the highest in the tournament) along with Dominican Republic’s Fernando Tatis Jr. 

Roy Kim, a Samsung Lions fan in tenth grade, favors South Korea’s power hitter, Bo Kyeong Moon. “Moon is a fantastic player who always delivers RBIs to South Korea when the pressure is on. I’m always on the edge of my room, waiting for his turn to bat.”

While the defending champion dominated Pool C, major upsets emerged from Pool B in Houston. Team Italy stunned the baseball world by winning its pool, defeating both the United States and Mexico. The Italian team went all the way to the semifinals, but fell short 4-2 to Venezuela. 

At Daikin Park, Houston, Team USA, led by “Captain America,” Aaron Judge, set an early tone with Judge’s two-run shot, beating Team Brazil by 15-5 to secure the second seed. In the quarterfinals, Mason Miller, the reliever for Team USA, solidified the win over Canada. Following the win, Miller continued to shut out in the semis, helping the team to advance to the finals against Venezuela. 

Despite securing the spot in the finals, Mr. Bergan, secondary U.S. History teacher, expressed his disappointment. “I honestly wanted some players to pitch more than one game. Tarik Skubal [right-hand pitcher for Team USA] was one of them, but his professional team [Detroit Tigers] blocked him from pitching a lot to prepare for the season.”

After the first round against Great Britain, the right-hander left Houston and joined the Tigers for spring training. His absence caused a visible gap in Team USA’s rotation depth, forcing manager Mark DeRosa to lean heavily on 2025 Cy Young winner, Paul Skenes, and the bullpen. 

Venezuela and Team USA, two powerhouses of the tournament, faced off at LoanDepot Park in a pitcher’s duel that kept 36,000 fans on the edge of their seats. 

Wilyer Abreu broke the silence in the early innings, sending a solo home run deep into the stands to put Venezuela on the board first. Then came the eighth. With two runners on, Bryce Harper, designated hitter, sent a ball to the left-field wall. As the Team USA dugout erupted, the Americans had flipped the scoreboard, leading 2-1 with six outs to go. 

Silence broke out on the opposite side of the stadium when Eugenio Suárez hit a clutch double into left-center, delivering the go-ahead run by restoring Venezuela’s one-run lead at 3-2. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Daniel Palencia, the right-handed reliever, closed out the game for Venezuela. Palencia retired all three batters with his final 100 mph (161 km/h) fastball.

Mrs. Purdy, elementary and middle Spanish teacher, hails from Venezuela and watched the game from abroad. “I didn’t expect the team to be champions, since I never saw them win the tournament. However, I was very happy to see my homeland win,” Mrs. Purdy said.

From the roaring Tokyo Dome to Houston, every nation brought its heart to the diamond. Venezuela took home the trophy, but the 2026 WBC reminded us that baseball belongs to everyone regardless of jersey colors.