Star-studded Team USA upset as Venezuela wins first WBC title

MIAMI – They brought together All-Stars and MVPs and future Hall of Famers. They built a pitching staff capable of making a hitter’s blood run cold and a lineup that could make a pitcher’s cleats rattle. They built bonds that connected them beneath the surface of their understated demeanor. They were the greatest collection of American baseball players ever assembled for the World Baseball Classic.

Yet Tuesday night, in a 3-2 defeat to Venezuela, their talent and their trophies and their team unity were not enough. Not on a night when a seismic home run from Bryce Harper could not cow their opponents. Not in a tournament that showcased the ability and the enthusiasm of so many other nations. Not when facing an opponent suffused with the spirit of millions watching at home and thousands more packing the stands at loanDepot Park.

Moments after Harper tied the score with a dramatic, two-out, two-run blast in the eighth, Venezuelan designated hitter Eugenio Suárez answered with a ninth-inning RBI double that put his country back in front. And so for the first time in the 20-year history of the WBC, Venezuela can call itself the champions of the baseball world. Eduardo Rodriguez blanked the Americans for 41/3 innings. Wilyer Abreu supplied a stadium-rocking home run. A collection of hard-throwing relievers piled up outs.

Heading into the eighth, the Americans had not advanced a runner beyond first base. Then shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. took a two-out walk. Into the breach stepped Harper, an eight-time All-Star and two-time MVP. He showed why when he unloaded on a change-up from reliever Andrés Machado. The ball soared beyond the center-field fence. There was no doubt about its destination.

As he rounded third base, Harper locked eyes with a television cameraman and pointed to the flag adorning his left biceps. The stars and stripes disappeared from view as Harper flexed and roared. With one swing, he had saved Team USA – and delivered the sort of moment folks had been waiting to see all tournament.

Yet the reprieve was short-lived. Venezuela capitalized on an erratic performance by Boston Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock. When Suárez touched second base with his go-ahead double, he pointed both arms toward the sky.

For so much of this tournament, Team USA made headlines for all the things it was not. Their players were not as passionate as the Latin American players. Their celebrations were not as riveting. Their loyalties were not as unwavering. Their catcher was not as hospitable. The criticism crested when Team USA lost in pool play to Team Italy in a game that manager Mark DeRosa had suggested earlier in the day his group did not need to win.

Six days ago, DeRosa gathered with his staff at the Houston home of Team USA pitching coach Andy Pettitte. They grilled steaks and pondered their future. Their fate relied upon the tournament’s convoluted tiebreaker rules as Italy faced Mexico. An Azzurri blitz allowed the Americans to advance. “You’re welcome, USA,” cracked Vinnie Pasquantino, the captain of Team Italy and a native of Virginia, after his three-homer performance allowed the Americans to advance.

From there, Team USA required no outside assistance. They took care of business against Team Canada in the quarterfinal. They outlasted the star-laden Dominicans in the semifinal. After Venezuela stormed back from a two-run deficit against Italy in the other semifinal, a championship date was set.

The finale took place less than a month after the United States men’s and women’s hockey teams captured gold medals at the Olympics. Before the game, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong outfitted his teammates in game-worn jerseys from the men’s team. The Americans were well-rested after playing Sunday night. Their opponents were trying to patch together a pitching plan after knocking off Italy on Monday. Venezuelan manager Omar López awoke Tuesday to “three text messages from different organizations trying not to pitch guys back to back,” he said.

The World Baseball Classic forces players to pit national pride against professional responsibility. Team USA dealt with its own competing loyalties. Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers ace, removed himself from the active roster after one outing. On Tuesday, San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller was permitted to pitch only in a save situation.

“The beauty of this thing is you try to honor the parent clubs and get these guys back to their parent clubs healthy,” DeRosa said. “But for some reason, when you get in a room, and you put USA across your chest and fill a stadium, you lose sight of that sometimes.”

The pregame pageantry elevated the moment. At 8 p.m., with the stadium darkened, a row of lighting illuminated the foul lines. Team USA captain Aaron Judge led the Americans down the left-field line. Venezuelan first baseman Luis Arraez countered with his teammates from the other corner. The two teams met at the plate as red, blue and green lights flickered across the stands.

The crowd appeared split between American fans and Venezuelan fans, a far cry from the semifinal against the Dominican Republic, which sounded as if it was staged in Santo Domingo. A leadoff single by Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. merited spirited applause. So did Team USA’s turning of a double play against the next batter, Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia. That allowed 24-year-old pitcher Nolan McLean to ease into his start, something he has done only eight times in the majors.

A leadoff single by Venezuelan captain Salvador Perez led to the game’s first run. Acuña took a one-out walk. McLean flung a curveball that avoided American catcher Will Smith and allowed both runners to advance. Garcia put Venezuela on the board with a sacrifice fly.

McLean ran into more trouble in the fifth. Abreu, the Boston Red Sox outfielder, unloaded on a belt-high, 96 mph fastball. The solo homer soared over the center-field fence. Abreu rounded the bases with such enthusiasm that his helmet flew off. He did not stop to pick it up.

The American offense provided no support for McLean. The group could not dent Rodriguez. He won 19 games and appeared on some Cy Young ballots in 2019. After the 2023 season, he signed an $80 million contract with Arizona. But Rodriguez has been mostly disastrous as a Diamondback, with a 5.02 ERA these past two seasons. The All-Stars on Team USA helped him turn back the clock to his late-20s peak in Boston. He exited after securing the first out of the fifth, turning the game over to López and the Venezuelan relief corps.

An opportunity emerged in the sixth. Harper notched a two-out single off San Francisco Giants reliever José Buttó. To the plate came Judge. He had struck out in his first two at-bats. With the count full, Buttó hung a slider. Judge rolled over and ended the inning with a groundout.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.