Venezuela closed out a landmark tournament with the result it had chased for years: a World Baseball Classic championship. In the title game, Venezuela beat the United States 3-2 to secure the country’s first WBC crown and turn a breakout run into a defining national sports moment.

Yahoo! Sports’ live report shows how tight the game stayed into the late innings. The Americans had to work back from a 2-0 deficit, and Bryce Harper’s home run tied the contest before Venezuela answered again in the eighth and then held on in the ninth. Daniel Palencia finished the game on the mound, sealing the win and sending Venezuela’s players into celebration.

The game’s shape reflected a broader pattern throughout the tournament. Venezuela leaned on timely offense, pitching and defensive execution rather than a single explosive inning. The report says Maikel Garcia was named World Baseball Classic MVP after finishing the competition with 10 hits, one home run, seven RBIs and three stolen bases. That sort of all-around line helps explain why Venezuela was able to outlast stronger-name lineups and still come through when the games tightened.

For Team USA, the final brought a different emotion. The live account describes a lineup that struggled to produce sustained pressure, aside from Harper’s homer, and suggests a team that will leave with regret after failing to hold the late lead. The closing innings were defined by missed chances, quick outs and one decisive swing for Venezuela when Geno Suarez doubled to left to restore the advantage.

That combination of late drama and tournament-long balance gave the title game a classic finish. Venezuela entered the ninth with a lead, then saw the United States create enough pressure to keep the outcome in doubt before Palencia shut the door. The result confirmed what the report states directly: Venezuela now has its first World Baseball Classic title.

For Venezuela, the win was about more than one trophy. It was the kind of achievement that can redefine a program’s place in international baseball and reinforce a generation of talent that was able to deliver on the biggest stage. For the United States, it was a reminder that a star-heavy roster can still be undone by a few missed chances against a team that makes the right plays at the right moments.

The live report does not provide a full box score, and some details of the final remain embedded in the play-by-play feed rather than a separate recap. But the core of the story is clear: Venezuela finished the job, Maikel Garcia earned tournament honors, and the country left with a title it had never previously won.