Team Venezuela won their first World Baseball Classic after defeating WBC favorites Team USA 3-2 in the championship game on Tuesday night.
Atlanta Braves star and former NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. celebrated the final out of the game by covering his face with the mitts in the outfield. Acuna’s wife, Maria Laborde, shared an emotional message after Venezuela clinched its first WBC title.
She shared a picture of Acuna lifting the trophy in her Instagram story, writing:
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“Grande Venezuela.”
Laborde was by Acuna’s side after the game and shared a clip of her interview after the game. She captioned the clip in her story:
“I really want to cry.”
Acuna’s wife also shared a view of the diamond from the stands, celebrating the win with an emotional message.
“VENEZUELA WE LOVE YOU. WHAT A TEAM AND WHAT AMAZING FANS 😭❤️❤️❤️.”
The Braves slugger also shared a heartwarming moment with his second child, Jamal, on the field after the win. Maria shared a clip of the moment in her story while updating on the absence of their elder son, Ronald.
Venezuela star Ronald Acuna Jr. reflects on “number one” win of his career
Atlanta Braves slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. reached base twice during the championship game against Team USA. The former NL MVP said it was the biggest win of his career.
“Amen. Personally, I think this championship is number one in my career,” Acuna said. “When we won the World Series, I couldn’t play because of my injury. But today, I finally made my people proud. I love Atlanta a lot, but before I played in Atlanta, I was born in Venezuela. Venezuela made Ronald Acuña Jr.”
Acuna was an influential figure throughout the tournament as he hit a leadoff home run off Yoshinobu Yamamoto to open Venezuela’s quarterfinal matchup against defending WBC champion Japan. He also tallied the game‑tying infield single in the seventh inning on Monday against Italy to spark their comeback win.
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash
