Venezuela eliminated defending champion Japan from the 2026 World Baseball Classic with an 8-5 comeback victory late Saturday night at loanDepot park in Miami. The quarterfinal knockout marks the worst finish in tournament history for Samurai Japan, halting a streak that saw the nation reach the semifinals in every previous iteration of the global baseball event.
The loss snaps a dynasty for the 2023 champions and sends Venezuela to the World Baseball Classic semifinals for the first time since 2009. The eight runs surrendered by the Japanese pitching staff represent the most the nation has ever allowed in a single game in the history of the tournament.
The matchup opened with historic back-to-back leadoff home runs from two Major League Baseball Most Valuable Players. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a drive to right-center field off Yoshinobu Yamamoto to open the game. Shohei Ohtani immediately answered in the bottom half of the first inning with a 114-mph home run off Ranger Suarez to tie the score.
Japan built a 5-2 lead following a three-run home run from Shota Morishita. Venezuela responded by dismantling the Samurai Japan bullpen in the middle innings. Maikel Garcia initiated the rally with a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
Wilyer Abreu hit the decisive go-ahead three-run home run into the upper deck off Hiromi Itoh in the sixth inning to erase the deficit completely.
Ezequiel Tovar added an insurance run by stealing home in the eighth inning. Reliever Daniel Palencia secured the save, inducing a pop-out from Ohtani for the final out of the game, cementing a major shift in international sports.
Venezuela advances to face Italy in the World Baseball Classic semifinals scheduled for Monday night.