Eugenio Suárez (top) and Venezuela celebrate after winning the World Baseball Classic, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
It’s safe to say Eugenio Suárez etched his name in Venezuelan history Tuesday night.
His go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth inning proved to be the difference as Venezuela defeated the United States, 3-2, to claim its first-ever World Baseball Classic championship.
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He jogged into second base and immediately burst into celebration — looking to the sky and pointing upward as he began to pray. He had just delivered what may stand as the most significant moment in Venezuela’s sports history.
“What can I say about this? It’s amazing,” he told Fox Sports after the game. “God is good. All the glory is for the Lord Jesus. He was with us the whole time. We have to glorify [Him], put His name in front of everything.”
After Venezuela’s Andrés Machado struck out American Roman Anthony for the final out, Suárez and his teammates poured out of the dugout in celebration. Like several of his teammates, Suárez had a Venezuelan flag ready, grabbing it as he sprinted onto the field before dropping to his knees, again looking to the sky in prayer and praise.
Venezuela played with visible emotion throughout the tournament, with several players saying a championship would mean more than anything else in their careers. It “means everything,” Suárez said after his team’s semifinal win over Italy.
“We’re not just teammates — we’re family,” he said after the championship game. “This team is awesome. We are family here. That’s why we play with passion, with love, because we feel the jersey. We feel our country in front of us.”
Venezuela took a 2-0 lead thanks to a sacrifice fly by Maikel Garcia and a home run by Wilyer Abreu. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez and the bullpen held the Team USA offense scoreless until Bryce Harper delivered a game-tying home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Luis Arraez walked to lead off the top of the ninth, then Javier Sanoja came on as a pinch runner and immediately stole second base on a close play that Team USA manager Mark DeRosa unsuccessfully challenged. Then Suárez delivered.
After struggling for much of the tournament, it was the second straight game that Suárez delivered a key hit for his team. His solo home run helped propel Venezuela to a 4-2 win over Italy in the semifinal.
Venezuela went 3-1 in pool play to advance to the knockout stage, then defeated defending-champion Japan in the quarterfinals. After taking out Italy in the semis, Suárez said the team’s run to the championship was “a dream come true.”
“I never thought in my life that I’d get to represent my country and do it in front of this crowd here in Miami. …I feel so happy for how special God has been to me,” he told MLB Network. “This is beautiful. You have to glorify Jesus’ name and do all my best on the field so (the fans) can feel proud of us.”
Throughout the tournament, Suárez regularly served as the team’s spiritual leader. He would lead the team in prayer in the locker room before games, and following Tuesday’s championship victory, he led his teammates in prayer on the field amid the celebration.
That Suárez came up clutch in the game is no surprise. In Game 5 of the 2025 American League Championship Series, he hit a go-ahead grand slam to give the Seattle Mariners a 3-2 series lead, though they eventually lost in seven games to the Toronto Blue Jays. At the time, he said it was the biggest home run of his career.
“I glorify God because He gives me the power,” Suárez said after that game. “I locked in and just tried to drive one. God is good.”
Now entering his 13th major league season, he is back with the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he’s spent the majority of his career (2015-2021). Last season, as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks (before his July 31 trade to Seattle), he surpassed the 300 career home run mark, making him the 12th active player and third Veneuzuelan-born player to reach the milestone.
He gave a short speech in the clubhouse after reaching the 300 mark and gave glory to God in doing so.
“This game is awesome,” he said. “It’s given me a lot, and I appreciate all of you guys for being part of this. … Thank you very much, and thank you for being part of this day. And this home run was for God.”
His faith in God has been a foundational part of his career, and he regularly gives thanks to the Lord in Instagram posts as well as in interviews.
“I’ve got to glorify God because He’s the only one,” Suárez told the media after his 300th homer. “Jesus Christ put me in this situation right now, and I feel so good right now. I feel so happy.”
He’s been selected to two All-Star Games (2018, 2025), delivered big playoff moments, and now can add a World Baseball Classic championship to his list of accomplishments. Through it all, serving the Lord remains his primary focus.
“It’s a gift. From that, one treats life like there is more to it than baseball,” Suárez told the Arizona Republic in Spanish last year. “I look for happy moments and think the best about people. It’s the Word of God and I am here to serve God. It’s something that is always with me and I hope it never changes.”
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