MIAMI (AP) \u2014 Eugenio Su\u00e1rez and his Venezuelan teammates stood on the stage behind second base with shiny medals draped over their proud chests, belting out their national anthem accompanied by tens of thousands of fans who remained in the ballpark a half-hour after the final out.<\/p>\n
Back home, people were singing their praises, too.<\/p>\n
Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time Tuesday night, beating the United States 3-2 in the championship game on Su\u00e1rez\u2019s tiebreaking double in the top of the ninth inning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were with us here in our hearts,\u201d Venezuela captain Salvador Perez said of his countrymen. \u201cThe World Series, as you all know, is one of the most important championships in the major leagues, but when you fight for your country, that goes beyond. That feeling, the country where you were born and raised, the sacrifices made by our parents, those people that helped us, that\u2019s why this means a lot to me and to Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bryce Harper\u2019s two-run homer with two outs in the eighth tied the score for the U.S., but Su\u00e1rez hit a go-ahead double in the ninth and Daniel Palencia pitched a perfect bottom half.<\/p>\n
\u201cBaseball wanted us to fail, to fall down,\u201d Venezuela manager Omar L\u00f3pez said. \u201cYou put aside your individuality and you are going to achieve those results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Venezuela acting President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez declared Wednesday a National Day of Joy and made it a non-working holiday except for essential workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy country needs that championship,\u201d star outfielder Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. said, wiping tears from his eyes. \u201cI just want to make my people proud. That\u2019s what I did today.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the capital of Caracas, thousands also sang the anthem as they gathered in the Plaza de la Juventud (Plaza of Youth) to the racket of honking horns from cars and motorcycles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m overjoyed. It\u2019s too much for me!\u201d high school student Yorleiny Mestra said. \u201cThe United States is a superpower, and the fact that we beat them makes me very proud of Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maikel Garcia\u2019s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu\u2019s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring, pro-Latin America sellout crowd of 36,190 at loanDepot park. Left-hander Eduardo Rodr\u00edguez and a string of lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits through the seventh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were feeling at home. There were more Venezuelan fans than American fans,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Bobby Witt Jr. walked with two outs in the eighth and Harper drove the second straight changeup from Andr\u00e9s Machado over the center-field fence.<\/p>\n
Boston\u2019s Garrett Whitlock started the ninth instead of San Diego\u2019s Mason Miller, perhaps baseball\u2019s best reliever, because U.S. manager Mark DeRosa promised the Padres he would use Miller only in a save situation.<\/p>\n
Luis Arraez walked, and pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second just ahead of catcher Will Smith\u2019s one-hop throw. Sanoja came home when Su\u00e1rez doubled to the left-center gap on a full-count changeup. Su\u00e1rez spread his arms wide and pointed to the sky at second base while teammates streamed from the dugout to greet Sanoja at the plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re warriors,\u201d Abreu said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to fight for that game to win it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palencia struck out two to finish a three-hitter for his third save of the WBC, ending the game by getting Roman Anthony to swing under a 99.7 mph fastball. <\/p>\n
As Venezuelans ran onto the infield to celebrate, the dismayed Americans stared while leaning on their dugout railing.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody believed in Venezuela but now we win the championship,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. \u201cThis is a celebration for all the Venezuelan country.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the U.S., Japan and the Dominican Republic got much of the attention ahead of the sixth edition of the 20-nation event, Venezuela\u2019s success was not that surprising. Sixty-three players born in Venezuela appeared on Major League Baseball opening-day rosters last year, second-most from outside the U.S. behind the Dominican Republic\u2019s 100.<\/p>\n
Garcia was selected the tournament MVP after hitting .385 with a WBC-high 10 hits and seven RBIs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey underestimated Venezuela because we had never won anything, but we are powerful,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWe won today, and I expect that in the new ranking, we are No. 1 and Japan is No. 2.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite a heralded roster of stars led by Aaron Judge, Harper and Paul Skenes, the U.S. remained without a title since 2017<\/a>. DeRosa also led the 2023 American team that lost the final 3-2 to Japan<\/a> and would come back for 2029 if offered another chance.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, it\u2019s who gets hot at the right time, who gets a big swing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just seemed like we couldn\u2019t get the offense going the entire tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodr\u00edguez (4 1\/3 innings) was followed by Eduard Bazardo (two outs), Jos\u00e9 Butt\u00f3 (three), Angel Zerpa (two), Machado (four) and Palencia.<\/p>\n Judge was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and hit .222 with five RBIs in the tournament, while Harper improved to .214 with three RBIs with two hits against Venezuela. Alex Bregman batted .143 with four RBIs. The U.S. scored nine runs in the three knockout-round games while batting .188.<\/p>\n After the final out, Harper walked over to Venezuelan players to shake their hands.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand what it takes to win games,\u201d he said. \u201cThey had a great tournament, and I just wanted to let them know: congratulations. They\u2019re the best team in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahead of a matchup with political overtones<\/a>, players and coaches avoided discussing the government turmoil between the nations, heightened when the U.S. military captured Venezuela President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n Venezuela became the second Latin American nation to win the WBC, after the Dominican Republic in 2013. The U.S. has just one title, in 2017.<\/p>\n Repeatedly during the tournament, Venezuelan players described the team as a family, and brothers Willson and William Contreras went on the podium together to receive their medals and sing the Venezuelan anthem, \u201cGloria al Bravo Pueblo (Glory to the Brave People).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe play with passion, with love, because we feel the jersey,\u201d Su\u00e1rez said. <\/p>\n U.S. players had arrived at loanDepot park in game-worn U.S. Olympic hockey jerseys coordinated by outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jack Hughes, who scored the gold medal-winning goal against Canada last month.<\/p>\n In a darkened ballpark filled by fans wearing wristbands with festive blinking lights, Judge and Arraez led the teams down the foul lines for the introductions while carrying their nation\u2019s flags.<\/p>\n After the game, many American players mingled with their families on the field while Venezuelans celebrated in their clubhouse. <\/p>\n \u201cDisappointed,\u201d Judge said. \u201cWe came here, all of us put on this uniform, signed up to go out there and get a gold medal.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press Writer Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas contributed to this report.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n