Baseball fans have become spoiled recently. After the seven-game classic that was the 2025 World Series, baseball picked up right where it left off: high-stakes games between talented teams. The 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) saw dramatic battles between incredible national teams from around the globe.
A few WBC rosters captured media and fan attention, perhaps none more than Team U.S.A. Captained by three-time American League Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge, the team featured immense talent on both sides of the ball. On the pitching side, they had the undisputed best starters in baseball, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, joined together alongside Logan Webb and Nolan McLean to create a formidable rotation. However, Team U.S.A.’s lineup may have been even more anticipated. Aside from Judge, their batting order included stars like Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Cal Raleigh and several more All-Stars. In a tournament filled with stacked rosters, Team U.S.A. stood out as the heavy favorite.
Team U.S.A. flexed its strength early, defeating its first two opponents in pool play by margins of eight and 10. Then, in a tightly contested game against Team Mexico, the U.S. managed a 5-3 victory. Standing at a 3-0 record, the U.S. had not yet clinched a spot in the next round when they faced off against Team Italy. In an interview before the game, Team U.S.A. Manager Mark DeRosa appeared to believe the team had already earned a trip to the knockout round.
“We want to win this game, even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals,” DeRosa said in an interview on MLB Network. DeRosa’s false statement quickly went viral on social media; the results of the game certainly did not help DeRosa clear his name. Team Italy seized a commanding 8-0 lead by the sixth inning. Despite a late rally from Team U.S.A., Team Italy held on, securing an 8-6 win. Fans and media speculated that DeRosa was still unaware of his team’s standing in the tournament due to veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt starting over the more dangerous Harper. In a post-game interview, DeRosa claimed he misspoke; still, Team U.S.A. was in jeopardy of failing to clear the initial round of the WBC.
The only lineup that appeared to match Team U.S.A. in terms of firepower was that of Team Dominican Republic (DR). The starting nine included Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and many more. Team DR put on a spectacle, scoring double-digit runs in their first three games before defeating Venezuela 7-5 to move to 4-0.
Led by Shohei Ohtani, Team Japan also posed a threat, as the defending champions from 2023. The team dominated, going a perfect 4-0 in pool play and clinching a spot in the quarterfinals. With other favorites Team U.S.A. and Team DR stood strong on the other side of the bracket, Team Japan was well-positioned to reach the championship game.
Team Venezuela faced off against Team Japan in the quarterfinals. In arguably one of the best games of the tournament, the two squads went back and forth. Venezuelan star Ronald Acuña Jr. launched a home run off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the second pitch of the game. In the bottom of the first inning, Ohtani responded with a home run of his own, tying the score at 1-1. At the end of the fourth inning, Team Japan had jumped ahead 5-2. A Maikel Garcia two-run blast in the fifth brought Team Venezuela within one, and a three-run homer from Wilyer Abreu in the sixth put Team Venezuela on top 7-5. Team Venezuela never relinquished the lead, ousting Japan with a final score of 8-5.
On the other side of the bracket, Team U.S.A. and Team DR took care of their respective quarterfinals opponents, setting the stage for an epic confrontation in the semifinals. In a low-scoring game, pitching and defense made all the difference. A pinpoint throw from Judge to nab Tatis Jr. attempting to reach third base in the bottom of the third inning was set to be the highlight of the game until the controversial final pitch. Trailing by only one run, Team DR brought the tying run to third base with the winning run at the plate in the form of Ketel Marte. Team U.S.A. closer Mason Miller delivered a full count breaking ball visibly below the strike zone and was still awarded the strikeout by the umpire. The call received heavy backlash and ended an otherwise thrilling game on a sour note.
With Team U.S.A. locked into the championship, Team Venezuela faced Team Italy in the other semifinal game. Team Italy was the last remaining undefeated team in the bracket after upsetting Team Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals, 8-6. Team Italy took and held the lead until the seventh inning when Team Venezuela chained base hits together to drive in three runs and overcome the deficit. With a final score of 4-2, Team Venezuela advanced to the championship for the first time in WBC history.
In the championship game, Nolan McLean took the mound for Team U.S.A. while Eduardo Rodriguez started for Team Venezuela. A sacrifice fly from Garcia and a home run from Abreu put Team Venezuela ahead 2-0. Team U.S.A. bats were tamed by a stellar start from Rodriguez and strong showings from the Venezuelan bullpen. Heading into the eighth, Team U.S.A. had only managed two hits when Harper stepped into the box with a runner on first. Harper drilled a two-run home run, his first of the tournament, to tie the game. Team Venezuela responded in the ninth with an RBI double from Eugenio Suarez, moving the score to 3-2. The lead held in the bottom of the ninth, giving Venezuela its first WBC championship. Notably, Judge failed to rise to the moment, a now recurring theme of his career; the captain went 0-4 at the plate, including three strikeouts.
Treated to an unforgettable tournament with twists and turns, baseball fans now turn their attention to the start of the MLB season.
