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Winners and Losers of the WBC

Long live the World Baseball Classic

Pablo Figueroa
World Baseball Classic 3/19/2026

After a long three-year wait, the World Baseball Classic came back into our lives, and it did so in all its glory. After the 2023 version was considered the tournament’s best version of all time, expectations were high for its sequel. It is fair to say that the WBC delivered on its promise, giving us a nice mix of national pride, superstars, veterans in their last hurrah, and the spectacle of baseball in the unique context of the international stage.

As we can now start the countdown for the next WBC, presumably set for 2029, or maybe for the 2028 Olympics, let’s take some time to reflect on what this edition left us – all the good, the bad, and the sublime.

Winner: Venezuela, the forgotten superteam

Outside of Japan’s dominance, the short history of the WBC has been quite democratic in its success distribution. The US and the Dominican Republic claimed titles, while other powerhouses like South Korea, Cuba, and Puerto Rico at least were able to reach the title game. The only traditional baseball-crazed nation that had never been able to really break through was Venezuela, whose best WBC result came all the way back in 2009, when they reached the semifinal round. Venezuela’s most recent participation included a heart-breaking loss to the Americans, but that probably served as fuel for 2026, when they assembled one of the best top-to-bottom rosters for the tourney.

Led by an inspired choice as a pitching coach in Johan Santana, the Venezuelans only had one truly bad game, when they lost 8-5 to the DR in pool play. Once installed in the knockout rounds, the Vinotinto crew navigated through a gauntlet of heavyweights, including a comeback win to knock out Japan, a pitching masterclass to defeat the upstart Italy, and finally a clutch bullpen showing to win the final over the US.

As Maikel Garcia was named MVP and closer Daniel Palencia became a national hero, it became clear that Venezuela was on a mission to finally show they belong among the international elite. With crowds gathering to celebrate all around the country, the importance and prestige around the WBC should be clearer than ever.

Loser: Japan’s title defense

While it was widely accepted that Samurai Japan did not have a strong a roster as they did in 2023, the expectations were still sky-high for the defending champs. With prime Shohei Ohtani leading the way and a strong contingent of MLB veterans mixed with NPB stars, Japan had enough talent to be considered a favorite to repeat.

Playing at home during pool play, Japan made quick work of its opposition, outscoring them 34-12 with plenty of fireworks. Alas, the pre-tournament chatter of Netflix taking over broadcasting duties in the country, along with the star players who were not able to join the team, were probably enough of a distraction to affect the usually unflappable Samurai. In an elimination game against the eventual champions, Japan squandered an early 5-2 lead, failing to score after the third inning as the bullpen imploded slowly in the shocking 8-5 defeat. Ohtani still finished the WBC with a staggering 1.842 OPS, but it became clear that most of his teammates were not up to his speed.

Winner: Italy

For a nation that is mostly known for its soccer prowess (pre-2014), Italy sure proved it can also be good at baseball. Of course, most of its roster was as Italian as Olive Garden, but that’s beside the point. The beauty of the WBC includes the fact that national identity goes beyond a place of birth, and a team of Italian-Americans was able to capture the spotlight despite not even being considered the fourth-best team of its group.

Embracing a dugout espresso machine and an underdog mentality, Italy went undefeated in pool play, including a shocking 8-6 win over the United States and a 9-1 thrashing of Mexico. The good times carried over to the elimination round, as Italy upset Puerto Rico and then proved to be a worthy opponent for Venezuela in the semifinals. The legacy of this deep run should resonate for future WBC editions, as the Italians provided plenty of fun and solid baseball. With veterans like Vinnie Pasquantino and Aaron Nola shining along with plenty of MLB prospects, Italy could become a factor on the international stage.

Loser: Mark DeRosa

The loser tag could be extended to the whole US roster, but that would be a bit unfair. Despite taking a second straight one-run loss in the championship game, there is no shame in how the Americans have achieved that, especially in this edition, when US baseball was able to trot out its best pitching staff ever. The limitations placed upon some of them, like Tarik Skubal’s one-and-done participation and Mason Miller’s usage limits, are obviously out of the manager’s hands, and it will be interesting to see if MLB and its clubs someday embrace the WBC fully.

DeRosa’s ultimate controversy comes from his pool-play comments, when he mismanaged the Italy game through resting star players and curious bullpen choices, under the assumption that the US had already qualified to the knockout stage. That was obviously untrue, as the tournament’s complex tiebreaking scenarios created a situation in which the Americans could have been eliminated on the final day of pool play. While Italy’s win over Mexico made it all moot, it was still a stain for DeRosa and his tenure as US manager. With the Olympics coming on home soil and an unprecedented pressure to win it all, it would not be surprising to see a new skipper in the dugout.

Winner: a Czech part-time player

In 2023, Czech pitcher Andrej Satoria, a full-time electrician by trade, became a cult hero after striking out Shohei Ohtani on three soft-tossed pitches. With Czechia making an encore in 2026, his presence on the roster added a level of intrigue forthe Czechs, even as their expectations were low as they again shared a group with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Chinese Taipei.

Czechia, indeed, was outclassed by its opponents, going 0-4 while allowing 39 runs, but that was not really Satoria’s fault. Satoria ended his baseball career with 8.1 scoreless innings in this WBC, including a masterful 4.2 frames to close out pool play against Japan. As Satoria exited the mound, he received a standing ovation from the Japanese crowd, adding a nice emotional touch to the moment. As Czechia finished last in its group, they will now need to qualify for the next WBC, but Satoria’s legacy will remain intact even if they don’t make it.

Losers: Cuba and Mexico

If there is a gripe about the WBC, you could say that the tournament’s structure and group play can be a bit capricious, especially for a one-game brand of baseball. This has always created the chance for pre-tournament darlings to go home early, and the 2026 version of that came in the form of Cuba and Mexico, who were widely regarded as favorites to at least make the knockout stages.

Cuba came into the WBC with the usual controversy around player visas that left them short-handed, but they still had a chance to advance following two wins and a hard-fought loss against Puerto Rico. With Canada standing in the way to close pool play, the Cubans were in the game mostly throughout, until a series of defensive lapses led to four unearned runs and a tough 7-2 loss.

Things may have been even worse for Mexico, following their Cinderella run in 2023, when they came close to defeating Japan in the semifinals. After making quick work of Great Britain and Brazil, Mexico played the US tough, taking a 5-3 loss that still made the nation believe they could advance. Facing a win-and-in scenario against Italy, with the chance to even eliminate the US in the process, the Mexican squad imploded like never before, ultimately losing 9-1 in a game that ceased to be competitive in the early innings. With several stars missing the tourney and several questionable managerial decisions, it is clear that Mexico will need to find a new approach going forward.

Winner: the baseball industry

Following an all-timer of a World Series and a newfound interest in MLB as a whole, the WBC had the chance to add to baseball’s momentum and enhance its brand. With raucous crowds in Japan and the US, solid ratings across the board, and a knockout stage full of close games, it is safe to say that the WBC delivered.

The hype around the US’ star-player commitments was a nice addition, but in the end, the ultimate value of the tournament is still mostly felt on how baseball simply looks different on the international stage. The images of Venezuelan players crying on the field after their title win will leave a lasting mark that should carry all the way through the upcoming Olympics and the next WBC. Regardless of the likely lockout that could follow this MLB season, baseball is in great shape and getting stronger.

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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