Team USA and Team Venezuela will play in the World Baseball Classic championship on Tuesday night in Miami. Since both ball clubs entered the quarterfinals/semifinals as No. 2 seeds, a coin flip was necessary to determine the home team for Tuesday's game. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Team USA won the coin flip and will be considered the home team as a result.
Team Venezuela defeated Team Italy on Monday in the semifinals by a final score of 4-2. Meanwhile, Team USA earned a 2-1 win over Team Dominican Republic on Sunday in their semifinals matchup. Now the squads are set to go head-to-head in what should be an exciting ball game on Tuesday night.
Nolan McLean will get the start for Team USA. The New York Mets' 24-year-old right-hander is one of the better young starters in baseball. He struggled in his first outing at the WBC, however. Nevertheless, the USA is trusting him in the championship.
Arizona Diamondbacks veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Team Venezuela. The 32-year-old also had an up and down first outing at the WBC, but Rodriguez will be ready for the moment nonetheless. There will be a postseason-like atmosphere on Tuesday night and Rodriguez has 11 games of playoff experience in his MLB career.
Team USA entered the World Baseball Classic as the favorite. They did not play their best baseball in the first round, but the ball club still reached the second round of play. The USA has continued to find ways to win and now they are in a position to potentially win the WBC championship.
Team Venezuela should not be overlooked, however. They feature a roster with no shortage of players who can make significant impacts. Players such as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Eugenio Suarez are looking to lead their team to a victory.
Tuesday night's first pitch is scheduled for 8 PM EST.
