Venezuela, a leading baseball power in Latin America, advanced to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship game for the first time in the tournament's history on March 16, defeating European dark horse Italy 4–2 in a dramatic comeback after eliminating defending champion Japan. Venezuela will now face host nation the United States in the final. Shortly after Venezuela clinched its berth in the championship game, U.S. President Donald Trump — whose administration had earlier forcibly removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — posted online suggesting Venezuela should become the 51st state of the United States.
In a post following Venezuela's semifinal victory, Trump wrote: "Wow! Venezuela beat Italy tonight 4 to 2 in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinals. They looked GREAT!" The U.S. president then added: "A lot of good things are happening in Venezuela lately! I wonder where that MAGIC is coming from? Does anybody want them to become the 51st State? President Donald J. Trump."
Trump has previously made similar remarks about annexing Canada as a 51st state. His post following the Venezuela–Italy game marks the first time he has publicly floated the idea of Venezuelan statehood after his administration toppled the Maduro government. Maduro is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. Among his reported fellow detainees are disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly and Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of a health insurance company CEO.
7th-Inning Magic: The Lineup That Refused to Quit
Returning to the diamond at loanDepot park in Miami, the semifinal looked for six innings like Italy's game to lose. Italy struck first against Venezuelan starter Keider Montero in the second inning, jumping out to a 2–0 lead.
Venezuela found itself stymied by Italy's dual-starter strategy. Eugenio Suárez did hit a solo home run off Aaron Nola in the fourth inning, but once Michael Lorenzen took the mound, he shut down Venezuela's bats and kept the one-run deficit intact going into the late innings.
The game turned on its head in the seventh. With two outs and a runner on first, Jackson Chourio singled off Lorenzen to advance the runner to third. Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. then hit an infield single, plating Andrés Giménez from third to tie the game — sending Venezuelan fans in the stands into a frenzy.
Italy's nightmare was not over. Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel García drove a line drive to left field for the go-ahead run. Luis Arraez followed with an RBI single to extend the lead. With each run scored, Venezuelan players stormed out of the dugout to celebrate. Arraez beat his chest and pointed to the dugout and the crowd, declaring a victory that would not be surrendered.
Miami Set to Become 'Little Caracas'
MLB's official website noted Venezuela's storied baseball history in its coverage of the semifinal win, calling it a country that has endured economic and political upheaval but remains an undisputed world power on the diamond. The country has produced Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, legendary shortstop Luis Aparicio, perennial Gold Glove defender Dave Concepción, and postseason standout Jose Altuve.
In terms of MLB talent exports, Venezuela ranks second only to the Dominican Republic. Yet despite repeatedly reaching the WBC semifinals, Venezuela had never won the title — its only previous final appearance came in 2013, when it fell to the Dominican Republic, and the team failed to even reach the semifinals in the last edition of the tournament.
The championship game is set for March 17 (Eastern Time) in Miami, a city that is home to the largest Venezuelan diaspora population in the United States. Marlins Park is expected to transform into a raucous "Little Caracas" — Caracas being the Venezuelan capital — giving Venezuela something close to a home-field advantage as it takes on the United States for the title.
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