Venezuela storms ahead with 3-run 7th inning (1:17)Venezuela scores three runs in the seventh, capped by Luis Arraez’s RBI single. (1:17)
And just like that, Venezuela is headed to its first World Baseball Classic final, where it will face the United States in a star-studded showdown.
Thanks to a three-run outburst in the seventh inning, Team Venezuela beat Italy 4-2 on Monday night, completing another come-from-behind victory en route to the title game. Before 2026, Venezuela had made it to the semifinals only twice in its WBC history — and had never won. The U.S., which took down the Dominican Republic 2-1 on Sunday, will return to its third consecutive WBC final in search of its first title since 2017.
We have you covered with everything from the semifinal matchup between Italy and Venezuela, including in-game highlights and postgame takeaways from Miami.
Venezuela’s bullpen saved the day. Things looked dire when starter Keider Montero exited after 1⅓ innings, leaving his bullpen to record 23 outs for a win. And six relievers stepped up to record those outs and hold Italy, one of the tournament’s highest-scoring teams, scoreless. The pitching performance allowed the Venezuelan offense’s three-run seventh inning to suffice and cemented the country’s first appearance in the WBC final. — Jorge Castillo
It has unified a nation. It has connected estranged Venezuelans with the families they cannot visit. And, more than anything, it has become a source of pure joy. That was never more evident than in the top of the seventh, when Venezuela’s offense strung together four straight singles, turning a one-run deficit into a two-run lead and making LoanDepot Park feel as if it might erupt. — Alden Gonzalez
Venezuela storms ahead with 3-run 7th inning (1:17)Venezuela scores three runs in the seventh, capped by Luis Arraez’s RBI single. (1:17)
Venezuela scores three runs in the seventh, capped by Luis Arraez’s RBI single. (1:17)