The Venezuela vs. USA quarterfinal matchup is a bit inverted from the game many expected heading into the World Baseball Classic.
In one corner is Team USA, battered and bruised after finishing second in a grueling Pool C that it was heavily favored to win. It took until the last game against Colombia before the Americans to advance out of pool play. Mexico finished first following a dominant win over the United States.
MORE: How much do the World Baseball Classic winners make in 2023?
In the other corner is Venezuela, which played in a pool that was thought to be the Dominican Republic vs. the field. Venezuela was dominant in going 4-0. Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander having the week of his life to help the team advance along with Puerto Rico.
Mookie Betts and Mike Trout finally lived up to their lofty expectations against Colombia, with Trout driving in all three USA runs in the 3-2 win. They’ll be looking to stay hot against a team that has been among the best in the tournament.
MORE: Who has the most WBC championships in history?
The United States is the favorite in the game with a 1.5-run spread, per BetMGM. White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn will take the bump for the Americans. Rangers left-hander Martín Peréz gets the start for Venezuela. The winner of this game will go on to play Cuba in the semifinals, which will also be in Miami.
The Sporting News is providing live score updates and highlights of USA vs. Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. Follow along below.
MORE: Watch World Baseball Classic games live with fuboTV (free trial)
USA vs. Venezuela score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F | |
| USA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Venezuela | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
USA vs. Venezuela live updates, highlights from World Baseball Classic
(All times Eastern)
9:04 p.m. — Bard’s woes continue as he smokes Altuve in the hand and Altuve is hurt. The bases are loaded with the first three batters Bard has faced, and DeRosa’s hand may be forced. Altuve is obviously in a lot of pain and he goes to the dugout.
9:01 p.m. — Bard straight up lost that pitch. A disastrous slider winds up eight feet off the plate and the runners advance to second and third. Wise mound visit here from Pettitte to try to calm Bard down.
9 p.m. — Giménez with the “excuse me” swing and it chops past the mound. Arenado was charging hard but couldn’t barehand it cleanly, so it’ll be runners on first and second with nobody out and Altuve up. Dangerous territory for Bard.
8:59 p.m. — That’s not the start Bard was looking for. He walks Torres in five pitches, so the leadoff man is on for Giménez in the nine spot. Bard needs to get one before Altuve comes up.
8:58 p.m. — Daniel Bard of the Rockies will take the mound in relief of Lynn. Huge, huge middle innings here.
Bottom of 5th inning: USA 5, Venezuela 2
8:53 p.m. — Anderson’s struggles at the plate continue, as he goes down swinging to get Garcia out of the inning. Tucker, however, gives the United States a big run.
8:51 p.m. — Kyle Tucker wasn’t going to be held homerless this entire tournament. He smokes that pitch from his teammate Garcia 105.2 mph off the bat down the right field line to put USA up 5-2. That ball got out quickly, and Tucker salutes coming home.
KING TUCK 👑
Kyle Tucker homers off Luis Garcia to give Team USA a 5-2 lead!
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/WbwLzg6Jjy
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 19, 2023
8:50 p.m. — Arenado knew. He spins out of the way of a high curveball from Garcia that was called a strike, and immediately turned to dispute. His AB ends with a groundout to second, and that’ll bring up Tucker with two out.
8:48 p.m. — David Peralta didn’t get an amazing jump on that ball off the bat of Goldschmidt, but he makes a terrific diving grab to put away the first batter of the inning. Potentially inning-shifting play there for Venezuela as Arenado comes up.
What a snag! Diving catch by David Peralta 🇻🇪🙌
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/irdKDLiWFN
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 19, 2023
8:47 p.m. — Garcia is back out for Venezuela, and this time around he’s taking on Goldschmidt-Arenado-Tucker.
Top of 5th inning: USA 4, Venezuela 2
8:43 p.m. — Biggest pitches of the game so far here, as Suárez is in a full count battling against Lynn. Lynn gets him swinging with a pitch high and Suárez dropped his bat in disgust. Gutty performance by the USA pitcher as his night is likely over.
Lance Lynn is PUMPED 🔥
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/r71oH7bxwg
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 19, 2023
8:39 p.m. — Compliment a pitcher an he immediately gives up a hit. Peralta finds a gap and punches it through for a hit. So it’s two out and one on first for Venezuela. Pettitte gives Lynn a visit as his start likely starts to wind down.
8:38 p.m. — Acuña grounds to Turner at short for a routine play. Lynn is only at 50 pitches here through 3 2/3, as Peralta comes up.
8:36 p.m. — Lynn is back out for the US for another inning, as Pérez grounds up the middle and is tossed out for the first out of the inning. Lynn is pitching to a lot of contact, but only Arráez and Suárez have really made him pay. Acuña is up next.
Bottom of 4th inning: USA 4, Venezuela 2
8:33 p.m. — Trout rips one down the third base line but right at Suárez, who didn’t have a choice but to catch it. Venezuela gives up a run, but given how the inning started, it could’ve been far worse.
8:30 p.m. — Trout is up with a RISP and two outs for the second straight at-bat. He’s down 1-2 to Garcia looking to capitalize this time. The 1-2 pitch is fouled off and he’ll do it again.
8:29 p.m. — Betts reaches out and pokes one into center for a sacrifice fly driving in Schwarber. Realmuto remains at second, and the error comes back to haunt Venezuela. USA takes a 4-2 lead.
8:26 p.m. — INCREDIBLE play by Giménez with the infield in, as he spears on off the bat of Turner and gets him while holding both runners. That’ll bring up Betts with one out and runners on second and third. Garcia still has work to do.
What a play by Andrés Giménez to safe a run!
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/qufMgSuFtK
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 19, 2023
8:24 p.m. — Turner hits one into the hole and Giménez skips it over the glove of Altuve. Schwarber advances to third on the miscue for the Venezuela infield, and Turner comes up with runners on second and third and nobody out. Mookie Betts lurks in the on-deck circle.
8:23 p.m. — Schwarber hit one hard right into the shift but it skirts under the glove of Altuve for a leadoff runner. That brings up Realmuto with nobody out and Schwarber on first.
8:22 p.m. — Garcia is back out to see the bottom of the USA order. It’ll be Schwarber-Realmuto-Turner looking to get to the top.
Top of 4th inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2
8:20 p.m. — Arráez comes up for Venezuela and Lynn gets him to fly out to left to get out of the inning. USA holds onto its lead.
8:17 p.m. — Santander got jammed up and he flies out to Tucker in left. Giménez holds at second with two outs.
8:16 p.m. — Altuve chops one to third and ducks the double play, advancing Giménez. Runner on second, one out for Santander.
8:11 p.m. — Giménez draws a leadoff walk for Venezuela, and DeRosa looks antsy in the dugout. Altuve steps up next with a runner on.
8:10 p.m. — Andrés Giménez is up for Venezuela in the No. 9 spot, and Lynn is about to hit 30 pitches which would disqualify him to pitch against Cuba should USA advance. An inevitability, but notable nevertheless. As a reminder, the max in the quarterfinal round is 85 pitches.
Bottom of 3rd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2
8:07 p.m. — Anderson grounds out to third, ending the fledgling threat and keeping it a one-run game.
8:05 p.m. — Justin Tucker wasn’t going to let his teammate off the hook. He ropes one into the corner for a double, and there is a runner on second with two out for Tim Anderson, who needs to find a way to break his funk.
8:03 p.m. — Arenado grounded to short there but the throw pulled Arráz off the bag. It’s ruled Arráez tagged Arenado out after the umpires convened, and that’s two down for Garcia.
8 p.m. — That’s why he’s a favorite. Garcia got Goldschmidt swinging with gas down the middle. It’ll be Arenado with one out as Garcia looks for Venezuela’s first clean inning.
7:58 p.m. — Luis Garcia is out to face Goldschmidt-Arenado-Tucker for the United States. The Astros dealer has been a López favorite so far in this WBC.
Top of 3rd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2
7:56 p.m. — Great cutter from Lynn gets Torres waving for the third out of the inning.
7:53 p.m. — There’s the clarity. López was upset the United States had time to challenge if Suárez came off the bag. After he review, he’s ruled out on the tag. So instead of a runner on second and one out, it’s nobody on two out with Gleyber Torres up next.
WOW. After review, Eugenio Suárez is ruled out after coming off the bag while sliding into second.
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/ICtghMortK
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 18, 2023
7:51 p.m. — Suárez continues to rake for Venezuela, as he puts one off the base of the ball the other way. Lynn’s cutter has been elevated tonight. Mookie Betts made a pretty incredible throw off the hop, but Suárez was in with a standup double. López is out talking to the umpires for some reason.
7:50 p.m. — David Peralta led off for Venezuela and grounded into the shift for the first out of the inning. That’ll bring up Eugenio Suárez, who has been excellent this WBC so far.
Bottom of 2nd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2
7:46 p.m. — HUGE pitch from Ruiz. 2-2, he drops a curveball off the table to get Trout swinging and he is hyped. Venezuela gets out of the inning unscathed despite the leadoff double.
7:45 p.m. — Trout will come up with two out and a runner on third. He’s thrived on these situations the past few games.
7:43 p.m. — Turner draws a five-pitch walk, and it’s going to be Betts with the first two on. Betts comes up swinging straight into the 6-4-3 double play, advancing Realmuto to third. Altuve was hurt on the play, but he got back up quickly. Runner on third, two out.
7:41 p.m. — Realmuto found a pitch there off the end of the bat and drops it in for a leadoff double. As John Smoltz pointed out, Team USA isn’t hitting the ball hard. They’re just following the age-old adage of “hit it where they ain’t.”
7:39 p.m. — J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner will start things off for the United States before turning the order to Betts. Venezuela catcher Salvador Pérez is being looked at after taking a foul ball to the mask. Pérez is heading back behind that plate after Omar López took a look at him as well.
Top of 2nd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2
7:35 p.m. — Good swing there from Acuña but it ended up right at Trout for the third out of the inning. All the same, a one-run deficit looks a lot more manageable than three runs, especially with that early start.
7:34 p.m. — Salvador Pérez looked like he might take the next pitch yard, but it’s caught in deep left for the second out of the inning. Acuña is up next for Venezuela.
7:32 p.m. — Luis Arráez! He homered only eight times for the Twins last season as the AL batting king, but he puts a charge in that against his former AL Central opponent and drives in two. Then he hit Lynn with a too small celebration along the way. What an answer from the new Marlin and Venezuela to make this a ballgame.
Luis Arráez 2-RUN SHOT 🇻🇪
It’s a one run ballgame!
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/nsILL1xNDx
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 18, 2023
7:31 p.m. — Santander popped one to third against the shift on an elevated cutter, and USA has its first out of the inning.
7:29 p.m. — Welcome to the WBC: Defense optional. Altuve is first-pitch swinging on Lance Lynn, and he drives it to left for a base hit for Venezuela. They’re looking for a rally of their own with their arguable MVP so far Anthony Santander up next.
Bottom of 1st inning: USA 3, Venezuela 0
7:26 p.m. — Good job by Ruiz to minimize the damage for Venezuela. He gets Schwarber late on a fastball and Schwarber flies out to left to get Venezuela out of the inning. That makes it 3-0 USA after half a frame.
7:24 p.m. — Ruiz gets Anderson swinging on a pitch that fell off the table, and that bring up Kyle Schwarber looking to drive in the runner at third with two out.
7:23 p.m. — Tim Anderson now digs against his White Sox teammate José Ruiz. Anderson is still forcing things at the plate, as he goes down 1-2 swinging at a breaking ball.
7:20 p.m. — That call gets overturned, and Tucker is out at first. That leaves Arenado at third with one out. Pérez is out after facing five batters, giving up five hits, and logging one out and three runs.
7:16 p.m. — The United States just needed to get out of pools, but this is why this team is so dangerous. Nolan Arenado goes the other way for a hit before Kyle Tucker drives Goldschmidt in with a single up the middle. Arenado forced the issue and got to third, and Tucker seemingly got into second but Altuve is adamant he tagged him out. Venezuela looks like they’re going to challenge the call. Five base hits to start the game for the United States. USA 3, Venezuela 0.
5 STRAIGHT HITS FOR TEAM USA 🇺🇸
Kyle Tucker drives in another run!
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/o4ZQAQPUkH
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 18, 2023
7:14 p.m. — Pérez is very good at getting ahead in the count, but he isn’t a big strikeout pitcher. Last year he had 7.7 Ks per nine, the same number as 2021. To that point, Goldschmidt goes down and takes a 2-2 changeup the other way to drive in Trout. USA 2, Venezuela 0.
Goldy drives in Trout 🇺🇸
Team USA leads 2-0!
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/hNCgfwey2G
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 18, 2023
7:12 p.m. — The short version of all of that: It’s USA 1, Venezuela nothing with a runner on third and nobody out for Goldschmidt.
7:10 p.m. — Betts starts things out right for the United States as he ekes one past Altuve for a leadoff single. Mike Trout comes up and is first pitch swinging! It blooped into center and Betts got an incredible read on it, forcing a throw to third from Acuña that went into the dugout. Betts scores as the ball goes out of play, and Trout capitalizes on the deep outfield with a single and an advance to third on a fielder’s choice and an error.
Hot start for Team USA 🔥
They take an early 1-0 lead!
📺: WBC on FOX pic.twitter.com/455f3rSh4y
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 18, 2023
Top of 1st inning: USA 0, Venezuela 0
7:10 p.m. — It’s going to be Betts-Trout-Goldschmidt at the top of the order for the United States, keeping inline with the mode for Mark DeRosa’s lineup.
7:01 p.m. — As a reminder, the winner of this game will play Cuba Sunday night. Japan vs. Mexico is the other semifinal game Monday before the WBC championship Tuesday.
6:55 p.m. — For those joining after pools, the United States enter this game 3-1 with wins over Great Britain, Canada, and Colombia and a loss to Pool C No. 1 Mexico. Venezuela, meanwhile, is 4-0, having taken down the vaunted Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
6:40 p.m. — Welcome to USA vs. Venezuela. The United States will look to send Venezuela home with its first loss of the classic. Lance Lynn will be on the mount for Team USA against Venezuela’s Martín Pérez. Here’s a look at both lineups.
Two stacked lineups facing off for one #WorldBaseballClassic semifinal spot.
📺: @MLBONFOX at 7 pm ET pic.twitter.com/9MvlfdfAPI
— MLB (@MLB) March 18, 2023
USA vs. Venezuela start time
The United States and Venezuela will begin at 7 p.m. ET. They’ll be playing at loanDepot Park in Miami, home of MLB’s Marlins.
How to watch USA vs. Venezuela in World Baseball Classic
- TV channel: Fox
- Live stream: FoxSports.com, fuboTV
The Fox family of networks is televising the World Baseball Classic, and USA vs. Venezuela will be on the main Fox network.
The game can be streamed via FoxSports.com or fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
