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Shohei Ohtani and his Japanese teammates will not repeat as World Baseball Classic champions after falling to Venezuela in the quarterfinals.
Ohtani’s third home run of the tournament was snapped as Japan snapped an 11-game WBC winning streak.
Wilyer Abreu hit the go-ahead, three-run homer after Maikel Garcia hit a two-run shot, and Venezuela beat the defending champions 8-5 on Saturday night.
Venezuela reached its first WBC semi-finals since 2009 and competed in a six-nation spot for the 2028 Olympic baseball tournament, along with the United States and the Dominican Republic.
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Venezuela will face unbeaten Italy on Monday, a day after the US play the Dominicans.
Abreu gave Venezuela a 7-5 lead when he struck out Hiromi Itoh in the sixth, driving a 2-1 four-seam 409 yards to right field for his first home run of the tournament. Ezequiel Tovar made it 8-5 in the eighth, taking a two-out lead after Atsuki Taneichi’s throwing error on a bunt attempt.
Ohtani, the 2023 WBC MVP, led off the bottom of the first by lifting a 2-1 slider from Ranger Suárez 427 feet to center after Ronald Acuña Jr. homered on the second pitch from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, driving a 401-foot fastball to right center for his second WBC home run.
SHOHEI OHTANI OPENS THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC WITH A BLAST AS JAPAN BEAT TAIWAN
Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan reacts to a strike call in the seventh inning during the game between Venezuela and Japan at loanDepot Park on March 14, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Gene Wang – Capture At Media/Getty Images)
Enmanuel De Jesus pitched 2 1/3 innings to get the win, and Daniel Palencia picked up the save, ending Japan’s streak by getting Ohtani out of the final out.
Japan took a 5-2 lead after a four-run third inning when Shota Morishita, replacing the injured Seiya Suzuki in center field, hit a three-run homer off Suárez. The veteran left-hander, who earned the win in the group stage against the Netherlands, pitched 2 2/3 innings Saturday, allowing three hits, five runs and two home runs.
Garcia hit a home run in the eighth against Chihiro Sumida to pull Venezuela within 5-4 in the fifth.
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World Series MVP Yamamoto allowed four hits and two runs while striking out five in four innings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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