As a Venezuelan, one of my greatest loves is baseball. Another one is the Dominican Republic, Venezuela’s Caribbean brother. Naturally, when I saw that Venezuela and the Dominican Republic were going to square up in the Group D stage of the World Baseball Classic on March 11th, you could imagine that I was ecstatic. Now looking back on the many high moments for Venezuela in their historic and victorious 2026 World Baseball Classic run, I think this match was truly heartfelt in more ways than one.
Venezuela and the Dominican Republic: A History of Brotherhood
The connection between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic is so extensive that it would require a whole series of articles in and of itself. However, my best effort to synthesize this Caribbean brotherhood is that it is one that encompasses native ties, Spanish colonial history, African lineage, Bolivarian heritage, democratic movements, refuge solidarity, migration reception, cultural similarities and exchanges, and, of course, baseball fervor.
Baseball: Unconditional Unification
This mutual love is something that translates perfectly into the sport that both countries share a strong passion and talent for. This sentiment quickly turned viral when they saw the authentic endearment through both teams’ players’ attitudes towards each other on and off the field. The field became a welcoming and playful zone, with a game filled with not only mesmerizing baseball but also hugs, friendly chats, respectful and comedic banter, laughs, dance, and evident admiration for each other. Off the field, it seemed that players, coaching staff, and fans couldn’t stop coming up with the ways that they were excited to be playing with their incredibly skilled brothers.
One of the notable on-field interactions included the hug between William Contreras, Venezuelan-born catcher for the Venezuelan national and Milwaukee Brewers teams, and Fernando Tatís Jr., Dominican-born right fielder for the Dominican national and San Diego Padres teams. That wasn’t the only embrace on the field for Contreras, however, with him catching Junior Caminero, Dominican-born third baseman for the Dominican national and Tampa Bay Rays teams, with a hug when Caminero ran towards first base.
Luis Arráez, Venezuelan-born infielder for the Venezuelan national and San Francisco Giants teams, and Manny Machado, U.S.-born third baseman for the Dominican national and San Diego Padres teams, also shared a hug while joking during the game. Another endearing moment was when Arráez helped Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Canadian-born first baseman for the Dominican national and Toronto Blue Jays teams, up from the ground after Guerrero Jr. had slid to second base.
Off the field, both the coaches and the players oozed with esteem for each other, before and after the game. Members from both teams celebrated the fact that they had this opportunity to play with each other, remarking each others’ history, passion, and talent.
Even among each country’s fandoms, we were keeping the healthy sibling rivalry going, joking that we were going to eat each country’s staple food item as a reward for winning. Although we put up a fight, especially in the ninth inning of the game, Dominicans ended up enjoying our arepas as a delicious trophy. After the game, Venezuelans and Dominicans celebrated together that they were both advancing into the quarterfinals after the game, with music and dance, demonstrating that even a rivalry can’t get in the way of our fun together.
This Venezuelan-Dominican relationship became viral not only for being an excellent display of international solidarity (important for a time in which the world seems to want to distance itself from globalization and inch towards nationalism), but also for it being a masterclass in good sportsmanship. This relationship is not only a standalone role model, but even more so when it is compared to the treatment Team USA gave to Mexico’s team in their game on March 9th. I am referring to what quickly became an infamous moment of Randy Arozarena, Cuban-born left fielder for the Mexican national and Seattle Mariners teams, offering a cordial handshake to Cal Raleigh, US-born catcher for the United States national and Seattle Mariners teams, and disgustingly being denied. This lack of sportsmanship, I must note, is one that is not uncommon from U.S. players and teams, especially in international sports competitions such as the World Baseball Classic.
In sharp contrast, there is Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, who Arozarena even remarked as truly professional players not only because of their talent, but because of their quality of putting respect at the forefront. Interestingly enough, the Mexico/USA and Venezuela/Dominican Republic examples have been compared especially since the aforementioned hug between Contreras and Tatís Jr. happened at the same spot on the field as the rejection of Arozarena by Raleigh: home base. Evidently, these examples mirror real-world politics and cultural attitudes, exemplifying how Venezuelans and Dominicans will always have a special place for each other in their homes. With regards to Mexico and the U.S., the same cannot be said to say the least.
Ronald Acuña Jr.: “La Bestia”
My favorite example of this brotherhood comes from the baseball player that I most adore: Ronald Acuña Jr., “La Bestia” (“The Beast”) from La Sabana, Venezuela. Before the game, the Venezuelan-born outfielder for the Venezuelan national and Atlanta Braves teams and Juan Soto, Dominican-born outfielder for the Dominican national and New York Mets teams, had made a bet that whoever’s team loses would wear the winning team’s kit. Even in the final moments leading up the game, Acuña Jr. and Soto jokingly offered up each of their team’s hats to each other, with Acuña Jr. even wearing Soto’s Dominican hat for a moment.
Furthermore, Acuña Jr. was given a Dominican identification card before the game, with the pretext that he has become an honorary Dominican. Acuña Jr. even jokingly stated that he was a Venezuelan-Dominican from Villa Mella (a neighborhood in Santo Domingo Norte, Dominican Republic). In interviews before and after the game, Acuña Jr. doesn’t cease to express the care Venezuelans and Dominicans have for each other, in relation to and outside of baseball.
Following Acuña Jr.’s lead, I chose to also root for my Dominican brothers in every game of theirs, and wished that their success would’ve gone beyond the semifinals in the World Baseball Classic. If Venezuela had to lose to anyone – since until their matchup, both Venezuela and the Dominican Republic had been undefeated – I am honored that it was to the Dominican Republic. In the words of “La Bestia”, “Ojalá se pudiera jugar todos los días” (“I wish it could be played every day”).