Venezuela has beaten Team USA to claim the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time in a thrilling final.
The 3-2 result in Miami on Tuesday stunned the star-studded US team, who had hoped to emerge triumphant after losing the final in 2023.
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“Nobody believed in Venezuela but now we win the championship today,” Eugenio Suárez, Venezuela’s third baseman, said.
“This is a celebration for all the Venezuelan country,” he added.
The win comes at a time of political turmoil for the country following the US government’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a military raid in January.
Crowds cheered loudly as Suárez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning, as players quickly ran onto the pitch in celebration.
Some players were draped in Venezuelan flags, as were spectators in the stands.
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The US have won only one of the WBC’s six titles since the event began in 2006.
This year’s tournament was the first WBC to feature the holders of Major League Baseball’s four most prestigious awards – Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.
