World Baseball Classic: Team USA vs. Venezuela (2024)

The 2023 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals are over after USA's win over Venezuela Saturday night. Now the semifinals are set, and they begin Sunday night. Follow along with updates, news, analysis and more below.

Latest scores

Quarterfinals

USA 9, Venezuela 7

Mexico 5, Puerto Rico 4

Upcoming schedule (all times Eastern)

Saturday, March 18: USA vs. Venezuela, 7 p.m. on Fox (Quarterfinals)

Sunday, March 19: Cuba vs. USA, 7 p.m. on FS1 (Semifinals)

Monday, March 20: Japan vs. Mexico, 7 p.m. on FS1 (Semifinals)

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(Photo: Rob Tringali / WBCI / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Turner, Team USA’s $300 million No. 9 hitter, took a fastball for strike one. He fouled off another fastball for strike two. At that point, he was 3-for-13 in the WBC, though one of his hits was a homer. He was still looking for his swing, just as he might in a normal spring training. Down 0-2, he knew he had Mookie Betts and Mike Trout hitting behind him.

Bracho has made only four major-league appearances the past four seasons. Venezuela manager Omar López needed him to get outs after lefty Jose Quijada loaded the bases.

Bracho threw Turner a changeup, right over the heart of the plate. This time, Turner did not check his swing. Instead, he turned on the pitch furiously, following through with a majestic one-handed finish. On a night of so many doubts, a night when reliever Daniel Bard suffered a frightening loss of control, helping turn a 5-2 lead into a 6-5 deficit, Turner hit the ultimate no-doubter, an indelible grand slam.

“I feel like I blacked out,” Turner said.

The depth of Team USA’s lineup is striking to behold. Trea Turner posted an .809 OPS in 2022. He batted .298 with 20 home runs. He just signed a contract worth $300 million. And he batted ninth for the Americans on Saturday. Ninth. The game still found him, in the eighth, when he crushed a hanging changeup from Venezuela reliever Silvino Bracho for the grand slam that put Team USA back in front. For obvious reasons, opposing pitchers likely fear the hitters at the top of the order, Mookie Betts and Mike Trout, above all. But Team USA was paced on Saturday by No. 5 hitter Kyle Tucker (RBI single in the first, homer in the fifth) and Turner, the last man in the batting order. Depth, manager Mark DeRosa has already seen, is quite nice.

(Photo: Daniel Shirey / WBCI / MLB Photos via Getty Images

Team USA rallied to defeat Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals on Saturday, winning 9-7. Here’s what you need to know:

• USA trailed 6-4 heading to the eighth inning.
• In the top of the eighth, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner launched a grand slam, giving USA the 9-7 lead. Ryan Pressly recorded the save, giving USA the win.
• USA is heading to back-to-back World Baseball Classic semifinals for the first time in the event’s history.

Read the full story here.

Three up, three down, ball game. Houston’s Ryan Pressly retires the side in order in the bottom of the ninth and the United States advances to the semifinals after a thrilling, come-from-behind, 9-7 victory. They'll face Cuba tomorrow night.

We’ll be talking about this one — and Trea Turner’s grand slam — for a while.

Jose Alvarado pitched an uneventful ninth for Venezuela. There might be a lesson in that.

Three outs left for Venezuela. Should be Ryan Pressly closing for Team USA.

Fresh off the high of USA’s go-ahead grand slam, Devin Williams comes in for the eighth and delivers. Acuña Jr. led off the frame with a double and eventually stole third, but back-to-back strikeouts of Peralta and Suárez favored the momentum back to Williams. Torres lined out to Mookie Betts to end the frame, stranding a pivotal run 90 feet from home.

USA is three outs from the semifinals.

It is unclear why José Alvarado did not replace Quijada when the bases were loaded. I assume the answer relates to Bracho being right-handed, with Turner, Betts and Trout due up. Alvarado throws with his left hand. But he was also the best reliever in Venezuela’s bullpen. I was actually typing about how Alvarado would face his new teammate, Turner, when I looked up and saw Bracho entering the game.

So it goes.

Trea Turner just had a moment.

Holy smokes.

Bracho had him down, 0-2, in the count. Then he left a changeup over the plate. Turner destroyed it. A grand slam. Turner danced his way down to first base.

What a game.

9-7, USA.

The eighth opened with intrigue. Tim Anderson led off with a walk against Quijada. DeRosa sent Pete Alonso, a right-handed hitter, to replace Schwarber, a left-handed hitter. Alonso fought off a 2-1 inside heater and deposited a single into right field. Bobby Witt Jr., the young Kansas City shortstop, ran for Alonso as Realmuto came to the plate. When Quijada drilled Realmuto, the bases were loaded with none out.

That ended Quijada’s evening. It will be Silvino Brancho facing Trea Turner, with the game in the balance.

All rise for Luis Arraez. His second homer of the night is a towering moonshot off the right-field foul pole, this time off David Bender. Venezuela tacks on an imperative insurance run, 7-5, and the pressure is mounting heavily for USA to respond.

Who else would Team USA want in this spot? Runners at the corners, two outs, advancement in the WBC hanging in the balance. It was up to Kyle Tucker, who came to the plate a triple shy of the cycle.

Venezuela had the platoon advantage, with the left-handed pitcher Quijada facing Tucker, a left-handed hitter. Quijada won the battle. With the count full, Quijada pumped a 95.3 mph fastball. It was the eighth pitch of the at-bat. It might have been a ball. The umpire called it a strike. Quijada pumped his fist and swaggered off the mound.

Team USA is six outs away from elimination.

Venezuela went with a battery of Kansas City Royals for the seventh. Salvador Perez, of course, is still behind the plate. On the mound is his teammate, Carlos Hernández. Hernández throws hard but doesn’t miss many bats. He only struck out 5.6 batters per nine innings in 2023.

So Team USA should have had chances to make contact, as the top of the order started the frame. Betts popped up over the right side of the infield. Trout could not catch up to a 99-mph fastball for strike three. Goldschmidt kept the inning alive with a single. Arenado smashed a single of his own. Goldschmidt chugged to third.

Unlike Mark DeRosa, Venezuela Omar López did not linger in his dugout as the lead disappeared. López turned to Jose Quijada, the undersized Angels reliever, to put out the fire.

Adam Ottavino posts a needed shut-down inning for USA. He notches a 1-2-3 inning, complete with strikeouts of Suárez and Torres, and a diving web gem from Arenado at the hot corner.

Now would be an ideal time to strike for USA as their lineup turns over to start the top of the seventh. Betts, Trout, Goldschmidt due up.

Venezuela has procured a one-run lead, but it feels like a bit more, doesn’t it?

Luis Garcia has done yeoman’s work since entering in relief in the third. Kyle Schwarber flew out to start the sixth. J.T. Realmuto did the same. Trea Turner struck out to end the frame. That’s the proverbial “shutdown inning,” a mythical concept that rarely actually matters. But it does matter here, if only because Team USA is three outs closer to defeat.

That could be it for Garcia. He has logged four innings of two-run baseball.