USA falls to Venezuela in 2026 World Baseball Classic final
MIAMI (KTTV) - Team USA fell to Venezuela 3-2 in the 2026 World Baseball Classic championship game.
With the loss, USA finished as runner-up for the second tournament in a row. The 2023 team fell short to Japan 3-2 with the game ending with Shohei Ohtani striking out then-teammate with the Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout.
Had Team USA won on Tuesday, it would have been the nation's second WBC title in tournament history. USA's lone tournament championship happened in 2017 with pitcher Marcus Stroman being named WBC MVP.
Tuesday's historic game marks Venezuela's first tournament title. Team Venezuela has played in every WBC since the tournament started in 2006, with the country finishing third in the 2009 tournament and failing to reach the semis until 2026.
The next WBC will be held in 2030, but MLB is rumored to allow its stars to possibly participate in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Dodgers in the WBC:
Catcher Will Smith was the lone representative for the Boys in Blue in the USA national team roster. Clayton Kershaw got to suit up for Team USA, but had retired from MLB and playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the start of the WBC tournament.
No one from the current Los Angeles Angels roster was with Team USA during the 2026 WBC.
Christian Suárez is the lone representative of the Dodgers organization for Team Venezuela. Suárez, 24, plays for the Tulsa Drillers, a Dodgers minor league team.
No one from the current Angels roster was with Team Venezuela during the 2026 WBC.
How They Got Here:
Team USA punched a ticket to the WBC final after beating the Domican Republic 2-1 in the semis. Prior to that, USA beat Canada 5-3 in the quarterfinals after finishing second in Pool B with a 3-1 record.
Team Venezuela made the championship round after beating Italy 4-2 on Monday. Prior to that, Venezuela beat defending champs Japan 8-5 in the quarterfinals after finishing second in Pool D with a 3-1 record.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.