Aaron Judge on Tuesday night walked slowly back and forth in the US dugout while Venezuelan players shed tears and fell to their knees to celebrate the country’s first World Baseball Classic title.
Other players from the US’ US$320 million roster stood frozen for several minutes before receiving their silver medals. Bryce Harper, who hit a tying homer in the eighth inning, went over to shake hands with Team Venezuela players before leaving the field.
“In those moments, it’s like the Olympics or anywhere else,” Harper said. “I’m really happy for them. Obviously, I want to win no matter what. That’s what I play for, is to win a championship and a gold medal, but in that moment it’s not about me, it’s about us and our game.”
Photo: AP
The US brought their most loaded roster ever to baseball’s premier international event, but the Americans lost their second consecutive WBC final after winning the championship in 2017.
“Obviously disappointed,” Judge said. “All of us put on this uniform to go out there and win a gold medal. We fell short of that.”
The US produced just three hits and four runs over the final two games of the WBC — well short of offensive expectations for a roster of players who combined for 382 home runs and 1,111 RBIs last MLB season.
Photo: AP
Three years after losing to Shohei Ohtani and Japan in 2023, the Americans were again disappointed, this time by an energetic Venezuelan team led by All-Stars Ronald Acuna Jr, Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez mowed down the Americans’ fearsome lineup with measured ease, leaving the colorful celebration to his teammates who met him with claps as he stoically exited the mound in the fifth.
Rodriguez fanned Judge — the US captain went 0 for 4 — twice among four strikeouts and held the Americans to just one hit over 4-1/3 innings.
Photo: AP
“I’m not going to make any excuses for us,” US manager Mark DeRosa said. “I think at the end of the day ... it’s early in spring training. Guys are getting ready for the season. Eventually I think the tournament gets moved and I think the guys are in better form pitching-wise, but ultimately it’s who gets hot at the right time, who gets a big swing.”
The Americans have won just one title in six iterations of the tournament.
Venezuela’s bullpen gave up only two hits, including Harper’s two-run homer over the center-field fence against Andres Machado in the eighth.
Photo: AP
Arraez walked against Garrett Whitlock starting the ninth and pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second just ahead of catcher Will Smith’s throw, then came home on Eugenio Suarez double.
Suarez spread his arms wide and pointed to the sky at second base while teammates streamed from the dugout to greet Sanoja at the plate.
Garcia, who drove in the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly, was named the Most Valuable Player. He led the tournament with 10 hits while batting .385 with one homer and seven RBIs.
“Every Venezuelan knows the effort we put in, and from where we come from,” catcher and captain Salvador Perez said. “Even in the smallest parts of Venezuela, people were supporting us. Even people watching on little black-and-white TVs, on their knees, supporting us. I just want to tell those people: ‘Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,’ for their support. We felt so much positivity, and even the ones who weren’t positive with us, I thank them for motivating us.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
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