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Venezuela beat the USA 3-2 in Miami to win their first World Baseball Classic

Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time on Tuesday, 17 March, beating the United States 3-2 in the final at LoanDepot Park in Miami before a sell-out crowd of 36,190, Al Jazeera reported.

Maikel Garcia's sacrifice fly in the third and Wilyer Abreu's 414-foot solo homer in the fifth put Venezuela 2-0 up. Bryce Harper tied it with a two-run home run in the eighth. In the ninth, Luis Arraez walked, pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second after a replay review, and Eugenio Suarez doubled off Garrett Whitlock for the winning run. Daniel Palencia closed it out.

“Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship today.” — Eugenio Suarez, via Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera called the game politically charged. It noted that the US had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid in January, that President Donald Trump posted before and after the final that Venezuela could become the “51st state”, and that players had been told not to comment on politics. Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, declared a national day of jubilation.

NBC Miami stayed on the field. It named Garcia tournament MVP, highlighted the stolen base that survived a challenge, and noted it was the second straight final the US had lost, after Japan beat them in 2023.

How each outlet framed it

• Al Jazeera — a first title with a political backdrop and celebrations at home.
• NBC Miami — the baseball: Harper's homer, Sanoja's steal and a second US final defeat in a row.

Where the details differ: Al Jazeera's account had Arraez walk before Suarez's double; NBC Miami added that Sanoja ran for him and stole second.