Mar 17, 2026, 10:55 PM ET

Venezuela has won the

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    Eduardo Rodriguez was nails when Venezuela needed him badly. Manager Omar López said he woke up Tuesday with texts from three different major league organizations imploring that he not use their relievers on back-to-back days after he needed six to beat Italy on Monday. López didn’t reveal the teams and said he negotiated over the phone with them for clearance, but the anecdote spotlighted the pressure on Rodríguez to give Venezuela some length. The veteran left-hander, after posting a 5.02 ERA last season, delivered 4 ⅓ scoreless innings, shutting down one of the best lineups ever assembled and making López’s job a little easier than the previous night, when his bullpen recorded 23 outs without allowing a run. — Jorge Castillo

    Venezuela has shown an uncommon level of grit and perseverance throughout this tournament, and it showed up again when it mattered most. A bullpen that had to carry the load in Monday’s semifinal stepped up once again 24 hours later, holding Team USA to only a two-run homer over the last 4 2/3 innings. And an offense scrapping for most of the night came through late, just like it did against Japan. This time it was Eugenio Suárez, in the middle of a lineup that doesn’t have the star power of Team USA or the Dominican Republic but is similarly deep. Venezuela manager Omar López expressed hope prior to the game that, regardless of the results, his country could be proud of this team. Its identity, he believes, matched the resolve of his nation. Now his team has won an improbable championship. — Alden Gonzalez

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