Venezuelan player after bating a hit during the quarter-finals of the World Baseball Classic on Saturday, March 18. Photo: Twitter/@TeamBeisbolVe.
At the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, yesterday’s match between Venezuela and the United States had an unfavorable ending for the Venezuelan team, which had to say goodbye to the international baseball tournament.
The match, that was the most anticipated of the quarterfinals, did not disappoint the fans. Both teams put on a show from the first pitch to the last out in the ninth inning.
¡Gracias a todos!
Estamos muy orgullosos de ustedes y agradecidos por todo lo que hicieron por #Venezuela
Gracias por esta ilusión tan grande #LaQueNosVuelveLocos pic.twitter.com/UrOm0yJ1W0
— Team Beisbol Venezuela (@TeamBeisbolVe) March 19, 2023
The Venezuelan team went into the match with high spirits, showing why they arrived undefeated and what led them to come in first place in group D. Right-handed Martín Pérez started the game, although he was relieved by José Ruíz in the first inning.
Perez’s replacement took place with the score being in favor of the US team; however, in his turn at bat, Luis Arraez put the US in hot water with a home run that left the score 3-2.
Venezuela Unbeaten in World Baseball Classic, Heads to Quarterfinals
The third inning was good for the United States as they managed to hit two more home runs, although by the bottom of the seventh, the Venezuelan team was ahead by one. Then, Venezuelan player Luis Arraez had another turn at bat, and he hit a home run that led the Venezuelan baseball team to a resounding 7-5 lead.
However, the top of the eighth came with four runs by the United States, leaving the score 9-7 and taking the Venezuelan team by surprise, and it was a setback from which they were not able recover. Despite the fact that this defeat left Venezuela out of the World Classic, the performance of the team had been impeccable since the exhibition games.
Vivimos días de alegría inolvidables, @TeamBeisbolVe, @FEVEBEISBOL.
Sabemos que dieron todo por Venezuela y que lo volverán a dar muy pronto.
Muchas gracias, muchachos.
El país entero está orgulloso de ustedes. Los queremos🇻🇪🥹. https://t.co/O7bRPsnvSn pic.twitter.com/sAidEVVPMH
— FVB 🇻🇪🏀 (@FVBbasketball) March 19, 2023
The Venezuelan team said goodbye as one of the best teams in the tournament. Although on some occasions the pitching was faulty, the Venezuelan players did an impeccable job in offense and they demonstrated the talent that Venezuela has.
Venezuela tour
Venezuela won two exhibition games, the first against the Houston Astros, current World Series winners, and the second against the New York Mets, one of the teams with the highest payroll.
In the tournament, Venezuela had to face teams that entered as favorites due to their playing ability, such as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, which Venezuela dominated on the field. Thus, the Venezuelan team managed to emerge undefeated from group D, where they also faced Nicaragua and the colonial and apartheid state of Israel.
From their homes and social media platforms, the whole of Venezuela celebrated the joys that the national team brought them.
(RedRadioVE) by Daniella Garcia Lugo
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DD
