The Matchup That Changed Everything: Venezuela vs. Japan
- Mayline Ruiz
- 17 minutes ago
- 3 min read
With the World Baseball Classic coming to an end, and Venezuela taking the championship home, there were a lot of teams that stood out. We saw many underdogs and intense games throughout the tournament, where we thought we had a set-in-stone winner. There were games such as USA vs. Italy, where we thought USA would win easily, but it went the other way. One game in particular that turned a lot of heads was Venezuela versus Japan.
Japan won the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and many thought we would see a repeat of the final against Team USA. With that being said, Japan had a lot of players on their roster that were going to make it difficult for Venezuela.
Japan has its star player, Shohei Ohtani, who won the National League MVP in 2024 and 2025. They also have the World Series MVP, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In this tournament, Ohtani had 13 at-bats and seven RBIs, five walks, and three home runs, averaging to a 1.842 OPS and a .462 AVG. Japan also had veteran player Seiya Suzuki, who went 9 at-bats and had five RBIs, six walks, and two home runs, which gave him a .333 AVG and 1.600 OPS.
Now moving on to Venezuela, they also had a lot of experienced players. In their roster, they had big names such as William Contreras, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Wilyer Abreu. An important name that was on the roster, but was a hitting coach, was Miguel Cabrera.
Nonetheless, Venezuela had a lot of players who played a big role in the tournament. Acuña Jr. had 26 at-bats and recorded a .962 OPS after having four RBIs, two home runs, and seven walks. Abreu had a .845 OPS following his seven RBIs, four walks, and two home runs.
Both teams had big-name players, and it could've been anyone's game. Leading up to the tournament, Japan had played Czechia, and Japan took the win with a final score of 9-0. In that game, we saw a grand slam from Munetaka Murakami. After that game, Japan knew they had to keep that momentum going.
Venezuela faced the Dominican Republic, and they took a 7-5 loss, but it was enough to advance them to the quarterfinals. With that being said, they knew that the next game was a big one, and no one could afford to make any mistakes.
The quarterfinal started with a bang from Acuña Jr. as he hit a home run off Yamamoto, giving Venezuela its first lead. The lead didn't last long once Ohtani came up to bat in the bottom of the first, and he hit a home run, making it a tied game.
In the second, Gleyber Torres (VEN) hit a double, which allowed Ezequiel Tovar to score, giving Venezuela the lead once again. In the bottom of the third, Japan took a 5-2 lead once Teruaki Sato hit a double, bringing one run in, and when Shota Morishita hit a three-run home run.
At the top of the fifth inning, Venezuela cut the lead by one when Maikel Garcia hit a two-run home run, and it wasn't until Abreu came up to bat that Venezuela regained its lead. Abreu came up in a big moment and hit a three-run home run, and it was suddenly a different ballgame with Venezuela leading 7-5.
The last run didn't come until the top of the eighth inning when Tovar stole 3rd base and was able to score following a pickoff attempt and a throwing error by Japan's pitcher Atsuki Taneichi.
Two days later, Venezuela went on to face Italy, where Venezuela got the win 4-2, and they were set to face Team USA in the finale. In a close game, Venezuela defeated the USA 3-2 after Bryce Harper tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth.
However, in the top of the ninth, Eugenio Suárez hit a double, bringing Javier Sanoja home, and getting the 3-2 lead. That run was enough for Venezuela to bring their country a championship win.
Their chemistry played a huge role in getting the win, as well as having experienced players who know how to shine in big moments. With Venezuela being the 2026 World Baseball Classic champions, it will be interesting to see who will be on the roster for the 2030 World Baseball Classic and which countries will be competing.
Edited by Mary Merensky