Spanish
MIAMI. – The Venezuelan national team secured its qualification for the baseball tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after defeating Japan 8-5 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, in an exciting match played before 34,548 fans at loanDepot Park.
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With the triumph, the Venezuelan team not only advanced to the semifinals of the tournament, but also secured its presence in the Olympic event, an achievement also reached by the Dominican Republic as one of the best-positioned teams in the competition. The game was a duel loaded with drama and offensive power. Venezuela started the game with a home run by the star Ronald Acuña Jr., while the Japanese Shohei Ohtani responded immediately with another home run to tie the score. Japan took the lead in the early innings, but the Venezuelan offense reacted strongly. In the fifth inning, Maikel García brought his team closer with a home run, setting the stage for the decisive moment of the match. The key play came when Wilyer Abreu hit an imposing three-run home run that changed the course of the game and put Venezuela ahead on the scoreboard. In total, five home runs were connected in the game, also including a hit by Shota Morishita for Japan, in an offensive duel that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. After a complicated opening by the left-handed Ranger Suárez, who pitched 2.2 innings and allowed five runs, the Venezuelan bullpen took control of the game and limited the Japanese hitters to just four hits for the rest of the match.
