Ronald Acuna Jr. Ranks Reaching WBC Final with Venezuela as No.1 Moment of His Baseball Career

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Team Venezuela will face USA in the finals of the World Baseball Classic after a comeback victory over Italy in the semi-finals.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Ranks Reaching WBC Final with Venezuela as No.1 Moment of His Baseball Career

Ronald Acuna Jr. (Image via AS USA)

Ronald Acuna Jr. will play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) final as Team Venezuela defeated Italy in the semi-finals. Following their triumph on Monday, the Atlanta Braves star ranked reaching the WBC final as the No.1 moment of his baseball career.

The outfielder has achieved several things in his MLB career with the Braves. Since his debut in 2018, the 28-year-old has earned 5 All-Star nominations and played key roles in the team’s offense over the years.

Some of his biggest triumphs include winning the World Series and being named the MVP. While Acuna Jr. had a great showing in the 2021 regular season, he was not part of the World Series-winning team due to an injury. Despite that, he did receive a championship ring.

In 2023, he founded the 40-70 club as he hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases. He finished with a .337 batting average and would win the National League MVP. Along with Shohei Ohtani, he was the unanimous MVP winner of his league.

Despite the huge success he has had with the Braves, for him, the best moment of his life is reaching the WBC final. After their win, the right-handed batter sent an honest message to the Braves organization while celebrating Venezuela’s big win.

This moment, I would rank it number 1 in my career. I love the Atlanta Braves, but before the Braves I was born in Venezuela, and it’s where I come from.

Ronald Acuna Jr. said via Francys Romero

A few days back, Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez made a similar comment and put his country ahead of his club. The 3-time MLB All-Star expressed that winning the WBC with the Dominican Republic would top his list instead of winning the World Series with the Mariners. These words from him sparked some divided opinions on social media.

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Venezuela had to work hard to reach the WBC final

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Venezuela will take on Team USA in the final of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday. They had to work hard and rally back from 2-0 down against Italy to reach the final.

Ronald Acuna Jr.
Ronald Acuna Jr. (Image via MLB)

Team Italy had been on a roll in this WBC. After wins against Great Britain and Brazil, they took down the United States last week.

An 8-6 win over the U.S. was followed by a 9-1 thumping of Mexico. They thus finished top of their Pool while the United States had to settle for a runner-up spot. In the quarter finals, they eliminated Puerto Rico to reach the semi finals.

Meanwhile, Venezuela finished second in their pool behind the Dominican Republic. In the quarter finals, they made a huge statement as they took down Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan. An 8-5 win saw them end the title defense of Japan.

In the semi-finals, it seemed another upset was on cards as Italy took a 2-0 lead. A solo home run from Eugenio Suarez in the 4th inning cut the deficit in half.

After Gleyber Torres earned a walk in the 7th inning, Italy were 7 outs away from reaching the final. A single from Jackson Chourio allowed pinch runner Andres Gimenez (pinch running for Torres) to reach third base.

Acuna Jr. then stepped up to the plate. With the pressure of his country on his shoulders, the Atlanta Braves star would hit an infield single and beat out the throw at 1st base to tie the game at 2-2.

This hit from Acuna Jr. turned out to be a massive game-changer as Maikel Garcia then hit a single, which allowed Chourio to score. Venezuela would take a 3-2 lead because of this hit.

Luis Arraez would then hit a line drive to center that saw Acuna Jr. come home to score and extend their lead to 4-2.

Venezuela would then hold on and emerge as 4-2 winners. With this win, they reached the WBC final for the first time in their history.

It all now comes down to the one game on Tuesday. While Venezuela would be looking to join the USA, Japan and DR in the list of WBC champions, the Americans would be hoping to avenge the 2023 loss and add a second title to their collection.

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