For the first time ever, Team Venezuela are champions of the World Baseball Classic. Venezuela outlasted the United States in a thrilling WBC Championship Game Tuesday night in Miami (VEN 3, USA 2). After Bryce Harper tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth, Eugenio Suárez drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double in the top of the ninth.
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia was named WBC MVP after going 10 for 26 (.385) with 7 RBI in Venezuela’s seven games. Those 10 hits were two more than any other player in the WBC. Garcia hit a two-run home run in Venezuela’s upset win over Japan and drove in the go-ahead run against Italy in the semifinal. He also had a sac fly in the Championship Game.Â
In addition to his stellar work at the plate, Garcia also made several highlight reel plays in the field and was a standout defensively. He was an impact player on both sides of the ball in a tournament where the margin of error is so small and pitch limits mean there is a premium on turning batted balls into outs. Garcia did that and then some.
Last year, Garcia, 26, broke out with the Royals, hitting .286/.351/.449 with 39 doubles and 23 stolen bases. He also won a Gold Glove at third base. It adds up to 5.6 WAR season and earned Garcia a five-year, $57.5 million contract extension in December. Garcia will be a centerpiece player for Venezuela for many WBCs to come.Â
Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japan in 2006 and 2009), Robinson Canó (Dominican Republic in 2013), Marcus Stroman (USA in 2017), and Shohei Ohtani (Japan in 2023) have previously won WBC MVP honors.
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