Venezuela’s Daniel Palencia stood on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning and blew a 99.7 mph pitch past USA outfielder Roman Anthony, who whiffed for strike three to seal a 3-2 championship win for Venezuela. Palencia turned to face his teammates, threw his glove in the air and screamed as he stretched his arms out to the sky.
For the first time in the World Baseball Classic’s 20-year history, “La Vinotinto” were crowned champions.
Tears streamed down the faces of several players as the celebration ensued.
“This team is awesome,” Eugenio Suárez said to Ken Rosenthal on the field. “We’re a family here. That’s why we play with passion, with love, because we feel this jersey, we feel our country in front of us. That’s why this is a lot for us as people, as players, as human beings and as Venezuelans. Now, we are champions.”
Kansas City Royals breakout star Maikel García was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic after he hit .385 over the tournament with a home run and seven RBIs. He drove in the first run of the final on Tuesday on a sac fly that scored Salvador Perez.
Watch Venezuela’s championship celebration from multiple angles below:
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venezuela WBC celebrations: World Baseball Classic championship 2026
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