MIAMI — U.S. team captain Aaron Judge walked slowly back and forth in the dugout Tuesday night, while Venezuela’s players shed tears and fell to their knees on the field at LoanDepot Park to celebrate the country’s first World Baseball Classic title.
Other players from the Americans’ $320 million roster stood frozen for several minutes before receiving their silver medals. Bryce Harper, who hit a tying home run for the U.S. in the eighth inning, went over to shake hands with the winners before leaving the field.
“In those moments, it’s like the Olympics or anywhere else,” Harper said. “I’m really happy for them. Obviously, I want to win no matter what. That’s what I play for, is to win a championship and a gold medal. But in that moment it’s not about me, it’s about us and our game.”
The United States brought its most loaded roster ever to baseball’s premier international event, but the Americans lost their second straight WBC final after winning the championship in 2017.
“Obviously disappointed,” Judge said. “All of us put on this uniform to go out there and win a gold medal. We fell short of that.”