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This month in ⚾️ March 2026 3/5-3/17 🇵🇷🇺🇸🇯🇵World Baseball Classic 🇵🇷🇨🇺🇨🇦🇵🇦🇨🇴🇺🇸🇲🇽🇮🇹🇬🇧🇧🇷🇯🇵🇰🇷🇹🇼🇦🇺🇨🇿🇩🇴🇻🇪🇳🇱🇮🇱🇳🇮 3/19-31 🇯🇵 Spring Koshien 3/24-29 🇲🇽 Baseball Champions League Americas 🇲🇽🇨🇺🇭🇳🇺🇸🇻🇪🇹🇼 3/25 🇺🇸 MLB opening game NY Yankees at SF Giants 3/26 🇺🇸🇨🇦 MLB opening day 3/27 🇯🇵 NPB opening day 3/28 🇰🇷KBO opening day 3/28 🇹🇼 CPBL opening game CTBC Brothers vs Rakuten Monkeys 3/29 🇹🇼 CPBL opening day

The power of the World Baseball Classic!!! 🌎 Between all teams in the WBC, over 2,777,500 followers were gained by teams’ social media accounts during the course of the tournament! 🤯 The official WBC accounts gained over a million followers too #WorldBaseballClassic

MLB teams by YouTube subscribers Los Angeles Dodgers 563K Chicago Cubs 261K New York Yankees 252K New York Mets 228K San Francisco Giants 183K San Diego Padres 171K Atlanta Braves 170K Boston Red Sox 152K Toronto Blue Jays 110K Philadelphia Phillies 104K Houston Astros 102K St. Louis Cardinals 93.3K Baltimore Orioles 83.5K Seattle Mariners 82.6K Los Angeles Angels 70.3K Milwaukee Brewers 58.6K Chicago White Sox 55.4K Detroit Tigers 52.6K Texas Rangers 51.7K Cincinnati Reds 50.1K Pittsburgh Pirates 46.7K Arizona Diamondbacks 42.6K Minnesota Twins 41K Kansas City Royals 40.2K Cleveland Guardians 39.8K Athletics 26.5K Washington Nationals 24.8K Tampa Bay Rays 24K Colorado Rockies 16.4K Miami Marlins 16K

NPB has officially altered its postseason format. If the 1-seed wins the pennant by 10 or more games, they will receive 2 ghost wins instead of 1 in the Climax Series Final Stage. If a sub-.500 team qualifies, the pennant winner also gets 2 ghost wins. news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/88aa1…

A legendary game calls for a legendary viewership number as 10,784,000 viewers watched the #WorldBaseballClassic final on FOX and FOX Deportes - the most-watched #WBC telecast ever 🏆 The 2026 WBC averaged 1,294,000 viewers across FOX, FS1 and FS2, making it the most-watched #WBC in its 20-year history across English language networks.

My Top 50 NPB Players for 2026 🇯🇵⚾️ This list combines past results and advanced metrics such as OPS+, DRS, K-BB%, SIERA, and more to project the best players in Japan.

Venezuela 🇻🇪 defeats United States 🇺🇸 3-2 and is crowned champion of the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic. World Champions! 🏆 Venezuela 🇻🇪 claims its first ⚾ WBC title after defeating the American powerhouse in a dramatic final. Arepa Power made history in an epic final: they opened the scoring in the 3️⃣⬆️ with a sacrifice fly from Maikel García that drove in Salvador Pérez, extended the lead with a solo home run ⚾ by Wilyer Abreu in the 5️⃣⬆️, and sealed it in the 9️⃣⬆️ with a clutch double by Eugenio Suárez that drove in the winning run for Javier Sanoja. The U.S. 🇺🇸 added drama when Bryce Harper tied the game in the 8️⃣⬇️ with a 2-run HR, but the Venezuelan pitching staff held strong under final pressure. Venezuela is the new World Champion! 🇻🇪 🗺️🏆 Pitching duel details: W 🟢 Andrés Machado 🇻🇪. 1.1 IP | 1 H | 2 R | 2 ER | 1 BB | 2 K | 1 HR | ERA 2.84 Came in crucial relief, allowed Harper’s HR in the 8th with an inherited runner, but kept the game alive to earn the win. L 🔴 Garrett Whitlock 🇺🇸. 0.1 IP | 1 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 1 BB | 0 K | 0 HR | ERA 2.70 Gave up Eugenio Suárez’s decisive double in the 9th that drove in the winning run. SV 🛡️ Daniel Palencia 🇻🇪. 1.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 0 ER | 0 BB | 2 K | 0 HR | ERA 0.00 Closed the bottom of the 9th with 2 key strikeouts, including the final out, to secure the title and his third save of the tournament. ⚾ The scoring unfolded as follows: 3️⃣⬆️ Venezuela 🇻🇪 1-0 🇺🇸 United States Maikel García hit a sacrifice fly to center field, Salvador Pérez scored from third. 5️⃣⬆️ Venezuela 🇻🇪 2-0 🇺🇸 United States Wilyer Abreu hits a solo home run ⚾ to center field to extend the lead. 8️⃣⬇️ Venezuela 🇻🇪 2-2 🇺🇸 United States Bryce Harper hits a home run ⚾ to center field, driving in Bobby Witt Jr. 9️⃣⬆️ Venezuela 🇻🇪 3-2 🇺🇸 United States (final) Eugenio Suárez hits a clutch double, driving in the winning run for Javier Sanoja. 📷 Picture: @espn #WorldBaseballClassic | #WBC | #VenezuelaCampeón | #TeamUSA

Congrats Venezuela 🇻🇪

Venezuela 🇻🇪 has not allowed a run beyond the 4th inning in their last 4 games

THE STAGE IS SET

FINAL: Venezuela 4, Italy 2 Venezuela, one of the world’s most baseball-rich countries, will face Team USA for the World Baseball Classic championship Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET after a comeback win to end Italy’s spirited run. LoanDepot Park is going to be a madhouse tomorrow night.

Team USA is headed back to the #WorldBaseballClassic Final for the THIRD STRAIGHT TIME!

PLÁTANO POWER Team Dominican Republic sets a new #WorldBaseballClassic record with its 15th homer! 🇩🇴

Another point that I just saw from a Japanese poster is that it doesn’t help Japan to play every WBC pool game with the same exact conditions. 7 o’clock night game at Tokyo Dome versus opponents they’re used to and much better than on paper. Nothing out of their comfort zone. Not much you can really do about it because the finances and ratings of the tournament obviously warrants it but it’s beneficial for NPB players to get a chance to play outside of Japan in front of a more “hostile” crowd.

HISTORY. For the first time in six editions of the World Baseball Classic, Japan failed to reach the semifinals. Venezuela 🇻🇪 defeated the best team in World Baseball Classic history in the quarterfinals.

VENEZUELA TAKES DOWN DEFENDING CHAMPION JAPAN

TEAM VENEZUELA KNOCKS OFF THE REIGNING WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC CHAMPS 😤

@SanPedroAce Just as bad as Puerto Rico’s loss, not as bad as Mexico’s

@baseballintern1 Yes it does.

USA’s loss to Italy doesn’t look so bad now

FINAL: Italy 8, Puerto Rico 6 The Italians' magical run in the World Baseball Classic continues to the semifinals, where they'll face the winner of Japan and Venezuela. They took a big lead early, held off a late rally and will take their espresso machine and hot bats to Miami.

From coast to coast and everywhere in between, fans are tuning in at record levels for the #WorldBaseballClassic