With a late surge in the seventh inning on March 16, Team Venezuela defeated Team Italy 4-2 to advance to the World Baseball Classic Final against Team USA. The game will start at 8 p.m ET and air on FOX Sports.
Team USA has already announced that Nolan McLean will take the ball in the championship game. However, Venezuela has also named its starter. Bob Nightengale of USA Today announced the news on X.
“Eduardo Rodriguez will start the championship game for Venezuela,” Nightengale posted.
Eduardo Rodriguez Will Start for Venezuela
Rodriguez is still under contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 32-year-old Venezuela native is in the third season of his four-year contract signed prior to the 2024 season.
Last season, the veteran left-hander went 9-9 with a 5.02 ERA in 29 starts. However, the results from last year no longer matter. Now is the time for Rodriguez to lock in and deliver a championship for Venezuela.
Rodriguez has pitched for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers in addition to the Diamondbacks and Team Venezuela. The WBC championship game will be the biggest start of his career.
The 32-year-old started Game 4 of the 2018 World Series, but that was not a potential clincher for the Red Sox. Now, the stakes are even higher, as he has a chance to put his country and his team on his back to deliver Venezuela’s first WBC championship.
In the past two classics, Team USA has made it to the championship game, winning the title in 2017 and falling just short against Team Japan in 2023. They will be heavily favored against Venezuela, but Venezuela managed to pull off a stunner against Italy, who were undefeated heading into the semifinals.
Breaking down the pitching matchup
This should be a fun pitching matchup. It will be a well-established veteran pitching for Venezuela and a young, promising arm for Team USA. Neither pitcher is an ace by any means, but both are on the big stage now, and everything will be on the line.
McLean made his major league debut with the New York Mets last season, and performed well, going 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA in eight starts. It was a small sample-size, but he has a bright future ahead of him.
But it will be a fun pitching matchup as both teams try to bring home a WBC championship. Team USA is looking for its second title while Venezuela will be shooting for its first.
McLean averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings last season with the Mets, so he brings swing-and-miss capability to this start. Meanwhile, Rodriguez is more of a pitch-to-contact pitcher, averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 2025, so both pitchers are very different in how they record outs.
It may not be the marquee matchup fans were hoping for, but it’s two solid pitchers battling it out with everything on the line and a chance to win the WBC. It will be interesting to see how the game plays out and what will ultimately happen in the championship game. There is a lot to look forward to.
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