00:0420 countries entered, but after two weeks, only one could emerge with the title of world champion.
00:12This was the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and in the end, it was Venezuela who emerged victorious with their first
00:20ever WBC title.
00:22The country pulled off an upset win over the United States in the final, running out 3-2 winners in
00:28an absolute thriller that came down to the wire.
00:32Venezuela took an early lead, going up 2-0 by the fifth inning.
00:36Their pitchers held Team USA scoreless into the bottom of the eighth inning, but that's when American slugger Bryce Harper
00:43brought his team back from the brink, hitting a two-run home run to tie the score.
00:47Venezuela answered right back in the top of the ninth, with cleanup hitter Eugenio Suarez hitting a go-ahead double.
00:54Reliever Daniel Palencia closed out the game, and the rest is baseball history.
01:02On the streets of Miami, where the game took place, absolute elation for Venezuelan fans.
01:07The country has become just the fourth nation to win the WBC since it began in 2006 alongside Japan, the
01:16U.S., and the Dominican Republic.
01:19I'm feeling very happy in Venezuela, and it's the first time Venezuela has won a world championship against the entire
01:25world.
01:26I feel very good, honestly.
01:30Over in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, fans aren't letting the moment go quietly either.
01:42To witness history in this time we live in is something wonderful.
01:46It's a national pride, something that will last forever.
01:50Of course, we made great history today, Venezuela.
01:53To all the fans, to all our people, to everyone, a big hug to my Venezuela, because we made great
01:58history today.
01:58We made it a reality.
02:00While Venezuela was the underdog in the final, the team was not exactly a rank outsider.
02:05Pre-tournament analysis had the country ranked fourth overall behind the three previous WBC winners.
02:12On the way to the final, the team lost to the Dominican Republic in the group stage, but managed to
02:17move on to the quarterfinals.
02:19There, it pulled off a huge upset against world number one Japan before taking down the dark horse Italy in
02:25the semis,
02:26finally bringing it head-to-head with the United States where it ultimately prevailed.
02:30Venezuela is by no means a baseball pushover.
02:33The team's roster is packed with Major League talent, but it had to go up against more seasoned teams with
02:39a history of winning international tournaments.
02:41But with this victory at the World Baseball Classic, the country has joined those storied ranks and has proven itself
02:47a baseball powerhouse.
02:49Luffy Lee and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
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