"It's worth catching a day!"' Venezuela turned the tables on '0:2→4:2' 伊 → The final 'Maduro Derby' with the U.S. is completed [Miami Field Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Venezuela defeated "defending champion" Japan, overpowering "team of storm" Italy and building a golden tower of advancing to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) finals for the first time ever. Now Venezuela will face the U.S. in the final.

Venezuela came from behind to beat Italy 4-2 in the top of the seventh inning in the 2026 WBC semifinal at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 17th (Korea time). He was dragged to 0-2 by giving up the first run, but after recovering one point, he scored three points in the seventh inning to turn the game around.

As a result, Venezuela will compete with the United States, which previously won the final, for the championship trophy. It is the first time in WBC history that Venezuela has advanced to the finals. Italy also made it to the semifinals for the first time, but failed to make it to the finals.

Venezuela set up the starting lineup in the order of Acuña Jr. (right fielder), Michael Garcia (third baseman), Luis Arraez (first baseman), Eugenio Suarez (designated hitter), Ezekiel Toba (striker), Gleyber Torres (second baseman), Willier Abreu (left fielder), William Contreras (catcher), and Jackson Churio (midfielder). Right-hander Kader Montero (Detroit Tigers) came forward as the starting pitcher.

Against this, Italy put together the batting line in the order of Sam Antonacci (striker), John Bertie (second baseman), Jacob Masi (middle fielder), Vinny Pasquantino (first baseman), Zach DiGenzo (designated hitter), Jack Caglian (right fielder), Andrew Fisher (third baseman), J. Doragio (catcher) and Dante Nori (left fielder). The starting pitcher was Aaron Nola (Philadelphia Phillies), a veteran right-hander with 109 major league wins.

It was Italy who was the first to open the store. With one out in the bottom of the second inning, after DeGenejo's heavy hit, Caglian and Fisher walked back-to-back to load the bases with one out. The next time, Doragio persistently drew a pushaway walk in a full count situation to make it 1-0. Nori hit a ground ball to the second base and called in a runner on the third base to run 2-0.

But Venezuela didn't stay put either. With one out in the top of the fourth inning, Eugenio Suarez hit an outside knuckle curve (80.1 miles) thrown by Italian starter Nola in one strike to hit the wall in left-center. Suarez's solo shot in pursuit made the difference between two points and one point. Still, the situation remained ahead of Italy.

In the top of the seventh inning, Venezuela turned the tables with its concentration. Leading hitter Torres took the opportunity with a walk. Next, Abreu and Contrales struck out in a row, becoming two outs, but Churio's heavy hit made it to first and third base. Starting with Acuña's 2-2 timely hit, Garcia and Arraez made additional timely hits to run to 4-2.

Venezuela, which succeeded in turning the tables, finished the game with Eduard Bazardo (Seattle Mariners), Andrés Machado (Japan's Orix Buffaloes) in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Daniel Palencia (Chicago Cubs) in the bottom of the ninth inning.

As Venezuela advanced to the final, the "Maduro Derby" against the United States, which baseball fans around the world have been looking forward to, was achieved. Maduro Derby is a name that compares the sharp diplomatic confrontation between the Venezuelan regime under President Nicolas Maduro and the United States, which has defined it as a dictatorship and imposed sanctions, to baseball. In particular, Miami, where the final will be held, is home to anti-Maduro sentiment, which is home to the largest number of Venezuelan migrants in the United States. The heat inside and outside the stadium, where the final will be held on the 18th, is expected to be hotter than ever.

The final, which takes the form of a proxy match beyond sports, is expected to be the best big match in the history of the tournament, coupled with Miami's hot cheering. The world's attention is focusing on whether Venezuela, which proved its ability by defeating Japan, will lift its first trophy over the U.S., the "baseball player."

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*This content was translated by AI.