Venezuela Upsets Defending Champion Japan 8-5 in World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals

Venezuela shocked the baseball world by defeating defending champion Japan 8-5 in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals on Saturday. Italy also advanced to the semifinals with an 8-6 victory over Puerto Rico, setting up a Venezuela-Italy matchup on Monday.

In a major upset at the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals on Saturday, Venezuela knocked out defending champion Japan with an 8-5 victory, while Italy secured their spot in the final four by defeating Puerto Rico 8-6.

The action started early in Miami when Venezuela’s Ronald Acuna Jr. connected for a solo homer against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the opening frame, but Japan’s superstar Shohei Ohtani responded right back with his own solo blast off Ranger Suarez.

Japan appeared to take control in the third inning when Shota Morishita delivered a three-run blast, putting the defending champions ahead 5-2. However, Venezuela battled back as Maikel Garcia crushed a two-run homer in the fifth inning, cutting the deficit to just one run.

The game’s turning point came in the sixth inning with Ezequiel Tovar and Gleyber Torres on the basepaths. Wilyer Abreu stepped up and launched a massive 409-foot three-run homer that sent the crowd into a frenzy and gave Venezuela a 7-5 advantage.

Venezuela added insurance in the eighth inning when Ezequiel Torres crossed home plate for another run. From there, Venezuela’s relief pitchers dominated, retiring 13 consecutive Japanese batters during one stretch before Angel Zerpa finished off the upset by striking out Ohtani.

“Its very hard to describe what went through my mind when I hit that home run,” Abreu told reporters afterward. “It was definitely one of the best moments in my career.”

The victory marks Venezuela’s first semifinal appearance since 2009 and also guarantees them a spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Meanwhile, Japan, winners of three previous World Baseball Classic titles, suffered their first-ever failure to reach the tournament’s final four.

In Houston at Daikin Park, underdog Italy continued their remarkable run by outlasting Puerto Rico without relying on the home run ball. The Italians, who entered the tournament having already upset both the United States and Mexico to finish pool play undefeated at 4-0, quickly erased an early 1-0 deficit.

Italy knocked Puerto Rican ace Seth Lugo out of the game in the first inning and never trailed again, building a 4-1 advantage. JJ D’Orazio contributed three RBIs while Andrew Fischer added two more. A decisive four-run fourth inning extended Italy’s lead to 8-2 and essentially put the game away, with all nine Italian starters managing to reach base safely.

Puerto Rico made things interesting late in the contest, highlighted by Christian Vazquez’s two-run hit in the eighth that brought them within 8-6. However, reliever Greg Weissert closed out the victory by getting five of the final six batters he faced, earning his third save of the tournament.

“This team has been building character in the last couple of days,” said Italy manager Francisco Cervelli, a former MLB catcher born in Venezuela. “We have the same mission, which is to continue until the last day of the tournament.”

Venezuela and Italy will face off in Monday’s semifinal in Miami, while the United States takes on the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s other semifinal matchup.