USA vs. Venezuela in the Baseball World Classic Final: Maduro's Capture and Latent Tensions Lie Beneath the Surface

The United States and Venezuela will face each other on Tuesday night in the final of the Baseball World Classic, a fitting duel between two of the world's best baseball teams, from nations with a long and tense history off the field. CNN Venezuela secured its place in the final with a semi-final victory over Italy on Monday, while the United States defeated the Dominican Republic in the other semi-final of the tournament on Sunday, resulting in the Americans' third consecutive appearance in the WBC final. On the diamond, they form a spectacular duo. The United States team is full of stars who have taken their goal of avenging the defeat suffered in the 2023 tournament final very seriously (some would say too seriously). Venezuela has already eliminated Japan and Italy, and now it's going for the United States. Related article Venezuela vs. United States in the Baseball World Classic final: preview, time, and how to watch Venezuela, also with a stellar roster, has shown charisma throughout its participation in the WBC and has provided electrifying moments in its victories over Japan, Italy, and in the tight loss against its rival, the Dominican Republic, at the beginning of the tournament. But the final will also have greater significance due to everything that has happened between the two nations in recent and not-so-recent history. The two countries have been closely linked over the last year, even more intensely since the incursion of the US military into the complex of the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, which culminated in his capture and transfer to New York to face drug trafficking charges. This is what you need to know about why Tuesday's WBC final (8:00 p.m., Miami time, on Fox) is so interesting. Off the field: Trump's focus on Venezuela and the crackdown on Maduro Suffice it to say that the relationship between the United States and Venezuela has been complicated, even conflictive, for decades. From the beginning of Hugo Chávez's term in 2007 to Maduro's capture in January, the oil-rich Venezuelan government was constantly at odds with Washington. Tensions intensified in mid-2024, when the Biden administration tightened sanctions against the Venezuelan government and forced Caracas to rely more on China, Russia, India, Turkey, and other trading partners. But it was Donald Trump's return to the presidency that caused a situation that had already been heating up to explode. After returning to the White House, Trump stated that he did not consider Maduro a democratically elected ruler. He also announced a policy of mass deportations, arguing that many immigrants arriving in the United States—including Venezuelans—bring crime and other ills with them, and designated the Venezuelan terrorist group Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. In March 2025, tensions between the two governments intensified when the United States deported more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants, labeling them as criminals, to the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) in El Salvador. Later that year, the US Department of the Treasury accused Maduro of leading the Cartel of the Suns, an alleged criminal organization that, according to Washington, is involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. In August 2025, the United States also increased the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest or conviction for violating US narcotics laws to US$50 million. The Venezuelan president has denied any wrongdoing. In September, despite some attempts at rapprochement and calls for dialogue, tensions increased again. The United States deployed military ships and aircraft in the Caribbean, allegedly to combat drug trafficking, and initiated a series of attacks against vessels that it claimed were attempting to smuggle drugs into its territory. These strikes have continued since then. In December, Trump ordered a "total blockade" of oil tankers sanctioned by the United States, and the Coast Guard began intercepting ships leaving or arriving at the Venezuelan coast. Trump, who had already authorized CIA operations within Venezuela, declared on December 12 that ground military actions in the country would begin soon because, he claimed, Washington would not allow drug traffickers to destroy American youth. In January, US forces raided Maduro's complex in Caracas, where he was captured and transferred to New York to face drug trafficking charges, which the ousted leader denies. Since then, Trump has tried to exert his influence over the country and interim president Delcy Rodríguez. Maduro remains detained in a New York City jail and faces life imprisonment for various serious charges. On the field: The story of two very talented rosters Between the white lines, this is like watching two super teams face off. Despite an almost catastrophic elimination in the group stage, the United States team was one of the favorites in this tournament long before the first ball was thrown. The United States team, despite being on the verge of an almost catastrophic elimination in the group stage, has been one of the favorites in this tournament long before the first ball was thrown. Led by New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, their fearsome lineup features hitters like Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman, and Bobby Witt Jr. Any of these players has enough talent to turn a game around and dominate it with a few swings. All of them in the same lineup? It's simply carnage. But the real star of the American team in this tournament has been its pitching staff, and particularly its bullpen. Opposing teams are hitting just .194 against them and allowing less than one runner per inning, with a collective ERA of 3.00. With the exception of the game against Italy, when European hitters practically sent the ball over the fence in the early innings, the Americans have accumulated the most strikeouts in the tournament and conceded the fewest walks. It will be interesting to see how starter Nolan McLean recovers in the final after his last performance against Italy. He took a beating and couldn't complete the third inning, and the United States ended up suffering its only loss, 8-6. That combination of explosive hitters and powerful pitchers allowed the United States to defeat the powerful Dominican Republic in the semi-finals. Ace Paul Skenes allowed a home run early in the game, and that was the end of the Dominican Republic's scoring. Two solo home runs by Gunnar Henderson and Román Anthony were enough to secure the victory. On the other bench, the Venezuelans are absolutely electrifying, both for their athletic prowess on the field and the energy they bring to the game. Ronald Acuña Jr. opens the batting order and is one of the best players when healthy, and he certainly doesn't seem to be carrying any discomfort. He hit a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers and Japan star Yoshinobu Yamamoto to open the quarter-final game on Saturday and seems to have regained his MVP form. And he may not even be the most feared hitter in the Venezuelan lineup right now. Maikel García, third baseman for the Kansas City Royals, leads the tournament in hits, and Luis Arráez, somehow, is adding home runs to his usual high batting average in the Baseball World Classic. As a team, Venezuela has the fourth-best batting average in this year's tournament. The Venezuelan pitching staff is not far behind. Opposing teams are hitting .215 against them, and Venezuelan pitchers allow an average of 1.09 runners per inning. How do Venezuelans feel in the Baseball World Classic? The Baseball World Classic has largely been a celebration for Venezuelan expatriates who have attended the games in Miami, where all the team's matches have been played. Ronald Acuña Jr. opens the batting order and is one of the best players when healthy, and he certainly doesn't seem to be carrying any discomfort. He hit a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers and Japan star Yoshinobu Yamamoto to open the quarter-final game on Saturday and seems to have regained his MVP form. And he may not even be the most feared hitter in the Venezuelan lineup right now. Maikel García, third baseman for the Kansas City Royals, leads the tournament in hits, and Luis Arráez, somehow, is adding home runs to his usual high batting average in the Baseball World Classic. As a team, Venezuela has the fourth-best batting average in this year's tournament. The Venezuelan pitching staff is not far behind. Opposing teams are hitting .215 against them, and Venezuelan pitchers allow an average of 1.09 runners per inning. How do Venezuelans feel in the Baseball World Classic? The Baseball World Classic has largely been a celebration for Venezuelan expatriates who have attended the games in Miami, where all the team's matches have been played. The message: Hope and nostalgia. Hannah Keyser of CNN Sports attended the first two Baseball World Classic games played by Venezuela and spoke with fans about what this tournament means to them and how they feel about Venezuela's future after a historic start heading into 2026. All the Venezuelan fans Hannah spoke with in Miami were happy that Maduro was gone, but they had doubts about what that meant for the country's future. "It was a great day," said Francisco Zambrano about the day Maduro was captured, which was also his birthday, "so it was a great gift." Juan Sánchez, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, 15 of them in Miami, was working when the news broke. "I was in the middle of my shift, and I just got home and celebrated. I had been waiting for this for over 20 years, and now it's happening," he said. "I had to go home and celebrate with my family. It was exciting. It was very exciting." "We always maintain hope that someday it will happen," Andrés Pacheco told Hannah. His face was painted yellow, blue, and red, with white stars on the bridge of his nose, like the Venezuelan flag. "And finally, they did something. We don't know what will happen next, but it's something." "Being together, sharing our culture here at the stadium, excites me a lot because we feel like we are back in Venezuela," commented Ángela Ramírez, who told Hannah that she traveled from Orlando with her husband and friends for the game. They have been living in the United States for almost a decade. It is a complicated situation for the team – no one from Team Venezuela wanted to talk much about the political situation in the country – but for the fans in the stands, the journey to the final offers another opportunity to celebrate and have hope for a better future. If you want to receive this and other information on your mobile, download Telegram, enter the link https://t.me/albertorodnews and click +Join. Alberto News Tags: SportsMAIN Follow us on Twitter Twitter Instagram Telegram No Result View All Result National International Politics Economy Entertainment Technology Health Copyright © 2019 AlbertoNews.com all rights reserved