MIAMI — Team Venezuela deserved to win the World Baseball Classic. Bryce Harper deserved better.
Harper’s ability to meet the moment warrants a championship, whether it’s in the WBC, World Series or 2028 Olympics. The brash kid who rankled Major League Baseball early in his career is now a husband, father of four and one of the best representatives the sport has to offer.
From his pregame address to Team USA to his game-tying two-run homer in the eighth inning, his postgame congratulations to Team Venezuela to a private moment he shared with U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, Harper on Tuesday was a portrait of class and grace.
He has been in the spotlight ever since he was 7 years old, when he played with older kids and still was expected to be the best player on the field. At 16, he famously made the cover of Sports Illustrated as “Baseball’s Chosen One.” And now, at 33, he continues to perform under massive expectations, largely without complaint.
Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski zinged Harper at the end of last season by questioning whether the 14-year veteran was still elite. An answer from Harper was inevitable. The WBC was the perfect stage. And on a night when so many other U.S. hitters failed, Harper almost singlehandedly rescued his team from a crushing 3-2 defeat.
It all started with his speech.
Team USA captain Aaron Judge was the player who addressed the squad most frequently, speaking before its first workout, its semifinal victory over the Dominican Republic and at other points over the last two-plus weeks. But in the hours leading to the WBC final, it was Harper who rose before his teammates.
“Harp gave an unbelievable talk before the game, a little speech,” Team USA hitting coach Sean Casey said. “He just was pumping us up about our country, everything you think a leader would say. It was a great message to us — let’s go out and make this happen.”
Harper spoke to reporters before word of his talk emerged. Phillies teammate Kyle Schwarber said his message was “from the heart.” And Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said it was “f—ing great.”
“He’s got a very nice, calming presence when he decides to speak,” Crow-Armstrong said. “(His talk) was just about making this our game. ‘We’ve done some really cool stuff. Fall back on that tonight. Just remember our style of baseball is what we need to go play.’
“I love that he decided to get up. It was a while before the game, but he kind of picked the perfect time when everybody was in there. It’s always important, always nice, when somebody who has those kinds of moments on the field regularly does that, like Judgey was doing the whole trip.”
Judge, though, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts against Venezuela. His two-run shot in the third inning against Mexico on March 9 was his last homer of the tournament. After that, he went 2 for 16 with six strikeouts and four walks.
Judge’s 2025 postseason, in which he batted .500 and hit a go-ahead, three-run shot in Game 3 of the Division Series, demonstrated his ability to perform in high-pressure moments. Some might view his WBC performance as something of a regression. But the sample is awfully small, and we’re still in the middle of spring training, still in mid-March.
Harper was hardly perfect himself in the tournament, entering the championship game 4 for 24 with just one walk. But to Casey and others, what made his home run off Venezuela’s Andrés Machado so special was that he backed up his words.
Not many are capable of such a feat.
The day before Team USA’s WBC semifinal against the Dominican Republic, Casey practically leapt off the ground when asked if Harper was close to breaking out.
“So close!” Casey said.
Casey, who played 12 years in the majors, described Harper as one of the hardest workers he has seen. Harper took extra batting practice during the WBC. Worked overtime in the cages. Did everything possible to get a feel for his swing.
In the quarterfinal against Canada, Harper nearly hit the ball over the center-field wall in the first inning. He also should have walked twice in the game, but plate umpire Bill Miller missed a ball four call both times.
Against the D.R., Harper went 1 for 4 with a double. In the final, he was 0 for 2 against Venezuelan left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez before lining a two-out single off righty José Buttó in the sixth. His next chance also came with two outs, two innings later, with Bobby Witt Jr. on first base.
Machado has not pitched in the majors since 2023, but Harper remembered the right-hander from his time as a reliever with the Washington Nationals. On a 1-0 count, he unleashed a classic Harper swing on a 93-mph pitch that Statcast classified as a changeup. Harper thought it was a fastball.
Whatever it was coming in, it went out to center at 109.4 mph. Harper flipped his bat. Saluted as he rounded third base. Pointed to the U.S. flag on the left arm of his uniform. And pumped his fist wildly as he crossed home plate, shouting in exultation.
He said his series-clinching, go-ahead two-run shot against the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the 2022 National League Championship Series is still his biggest homer. But he acknowledged this one probably was No. 2.
“What a moment,” Harper said. “Obviously, I love the opportunity. I’m super grateful for it. We tied it up right there, and had a really good chance to win that game.”
However, Team USA didn’t win.
Machado struck out Judge to end the eighth. Team Venezuela closer Daniel Palencia needed only 11 pitches to close out the U.S. 1-2-3 in the ninth.
The Venezuelan players rejoiced over their first WBC title, crying, hugging and praying. Their emotions were as intense as you will ever see on a baseball field, in part because of the numerous problems their country is facing. U.S. players also love their country and their sport. They don’t demonstrate their passion as vividly.
The beauty of the WBC, as Harper noted, lies in how it celebrates diverse perspectives on baseball.
“It’s awesome to see the cultures come together. And that’s what this is all about,” Harper said. “Each fan base, each player from each country, from Brazil to Tokyo to here.”
Harper, though, didn’t just say the right things. He also did the right thing, showing his respect for the Venezuelan players before the medal ceremony, embracing many of them and offering congratulations.
Venezuelan pitcher Ranger Suárez is a former Phillies teammate of Harper’s, while outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is a current division rival. Several other Venezuelan players are also current major-league opponents. Harper recalled playing against Venezuelan coaches Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, too.
“Obviously, I want to win, no matter what,” Harper said. “That’s what I play for, to win championships, to win gold medals, things like that. But in that moment, it’s not about me. It’s about us and our game.
“They had a great tournament. I just wanted to let them know, congratulations. They’re the best team in the world.”
After leaving the field, Harper had another stop to make. He visited DeRosa’s office, thanking his former Nationals teammate for giving him the chance to “wear the colors across my chest.” DeRosa, in turn, thanked him for hitting the home run that gave Team USA a chance.
In his postgame news conference, DeRosa called their exchange “a special moment.”
“I’ve known Bryce for a long time. I was with the Nationals in 2012 when he was 19 years old and came to his first big league camp and spent a lot of time with him. We have a lot of history, and I wanted him to be a part of this.
“I knew he was going to have a moment, that’s who he is, right? He has the ability to have big moments in big spots. He wants it. He wants to be up there in that spot.
“I watched him grow up in the game. Lot of conversations, knew what his career was kind of going to be like with the multiple MVPs, how he’s competed. I was just proud he was a part of the team. Just to get to spend two and a half weeks, share a clubhouse with him again.”
And so an electrifying tournament came to a close. The noise will subside now. The final days of spring training are upon us. The regular season is a week away.
After losing the 2022 World Series to the Houston Astros, Harper’s Phillies dropped the 2023 NLCS and then two straight Division Series. Several of their players, including Harper, are in their early 30s. Maybe the Phils will win their third straight NL East title. Maybe they will start to decline.
Harper, whose .844 OPS last season was his lowest since 2016, is one of several Phillies with something to prove. His home run against Venezuela had the look of a warning shot. But his pregame talk to Team USA and postgame recognition of Team Venezuela were also vintage Harper. As much as any baseball superstar, he understands his place in the game and responsibility to the sport.
He just needs a title, that’s all.
