Jorge Castillo
Multiple Authors
MIAMI — Ronald Acuna Jr. scampered to first base, beat the throw from the shortstop, and didn’t stop running.
The superstar right fielder high-stepped his way another 90 feet down the right-field line, screaming for the second leg of his sprint while the thousands of Venezuelans around him joined in his outburst Monday night. His Venezuela teammates spilled out of the dugout in celebration, banging imaginary tamboras in celebration of his game-tying infield single.
Venezuela fans, who had filled LoanDepot Park hoping to watch their national team reach the World Baseball Classic final for the first time, boomed the building’s decibels to an ear-piercing level.
Team Venezuela, behind their electric leadoff hitter, had finally broken through to draw even with Team Italy in the seventh inning of this WBC semifinal — and they weren’t done. Maikel Garcia followed with a go-ahead RBI single and Luis Arraez added another one for insurance, doubling Venezuela’s lead with a fourth straight two-out hit en route to a 4-2 win.
Days after qualifying for the Olympics for the first time, Venezuela, a proud baseball nation that has exported some of the world’s best talents, will play for its first WBC championship against Team USA on Tuesday.
Tension had been building for the Venezuelans over the first 6 ⅔ innings. Team Italy, as they did all tournament during their surprising run to the country’s first semifinal, jumped out in front thanks to Keider Montero’s sudden control struggles in the second inning. The right-hander yielded a one-out single to Zach Dezenzo before issuing three straight walks. The third, to JJ D’Orazio with the bases loaded, pushed home the game’s first run. Moments later, Dante Nori’s fielder’s choice groundout made it 2-0 and ended Montero’s night after 33 pitches in just 1⅓ innings.
Aaron Nola did not encounter such trouble on the other side. Michael Lorenzen, who shut down Team USA in pool play, was originally scheduled to start for Team Italy on Monday, but manager Francisco Cervelli, listening to his gut, decided to swap him out for Nola.
“It was me,” said Cervelli, who was born and raised in Venezuela. “Everyone is available, but I think Nola is the right person. That’s my opinion, and I’m taking responsibility for my decisions.”
The choice proved prescient. Nola held the mighty Venezuela lineup scoreless until slugger Eugenio Suarez launched an 80-mph knuckle curveball down and away over the left-field wall for the solo home run in the fourth inning. It was the only run Nola allowed Monday — and the only run he surrendered across eight innings in his two WBC starts.
Cervelli’s gut then pushed him to piggyback Nola with Lorenzen in the fifth inning, sacrificing his best option to start in Tuesday’s championship game against the U.S. to increase his team’s chances of getting there. Lorenzen began his relief appearance by walking William Contreras to bring up Jackson Chourio, the Milwaukee Brewers’ budding star outfielder.
Instead of letting Chourio, Venezuela’s overqualified No. 9 hitter, inflict damage, manager Omar López instructed him to advance Contreras with a bunt. Chourio did his job, but the next two batters — Acuña Jr. and Garcia — did not, leaving Contreras at second base as Lorenzen danced around the self-inflicted trouble to hold Italy’s one-run lead.
The seventh inning was a different story. Gleyber Torres worked a leadoff walk before he was replaced by pinch-runner Andres Gimenez. Lorenzen then struck out Wilyer Abreu and William Contreras, pulling himself to the brink of another escape. But Chourio laced a single to center field, advancing Gimenez from first to third and igniting a barrage that fueled Venezuela’s trip to the title game.
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