Venezuela finds right pitching formula in semis, but final test looms large
By Anthony Castrovince
Published on March 17, 2026.
Venezuela's manager, Omar López, managed a 4-2 victory over Italy in the World Baseball Classic semifinals, finding the right strategy in the team's game against Italy. The winning formula involved several players, including Keider Montero, Ricardo Sánchez, Luinder Avila, Angel Zerpa, Eduard Bazardo, Andrés Machado, and Daniel Palencia. However, this strategy leaves Venezuela in a sub-optimal setup for the final against Team USA, with Eduardo Rodriguez starting the game. Despite this, Lópe made a bold move to pull Sánschez after he faced six batters, as WBC limits prevent a reliever from pitching on zero days’ rest if he throws at least 30 pitches in a given outing.
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