Venezuela opened the 2026 World Baseball Classic with a 6-2 victory over the Netherlands in Pool D at loanDepot park in Miami. A four-run fifth inning broke the game open for the Venezuelans after an early tie. Druw Jones drove in both runs for the Netherlands, which was managed by his father, Andruw Jones.
The game began with Venezuela taking a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a leadoff double and Luis Arraez followed with a single to score him against Netherlands starter Antwone Kelly.
In the second inning, Druw Jones, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and a top prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks, lined a double to left field off Ranger Suárez, scoring Hendrik Clementina to tie the score at 1-1. However, Javier Sanoja quickly restored Venezuela's advantage with a solo home run on Kelly's first pitch of the inning, a 98.3 mph fastball projected at 370 feet.
The contest remained close until the fifth, when Venezuela loaded the bases against reliever Jaydenn Estanista. A walk to Arraez made it 3-1, and Willson Contreras followed with a two-run single. Wilyer Abreu added an RBI single later in the frame, giving Venezuela a 6-1 lead heading into the sixth.
Druw Jones added his second RBI with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but Venezuela's bullpen—Eduard Bazardo, Luinder Avila, José Buttó, Andrés Machado and Daniel Palencia—held the Netherlands to one run over seven innings.
Kelly allowed two runs in three innings on 48 pitches, while Suárez gave up one run in two innings on 43 pitches. Netherlands manager Andruw Jones, a future Baseball Hall of Famer making his managerial debut after playing for the team in 2006 and 2013, said, “We had one bad inning and they took advantage of that. Now we know what to do and tomorrow we're going to have a better game.”
Druw Jones went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts and reflected, “We didn't come out with the win today. But we're trying to do all those little things right and those will end up giving us wins.” Venezuela manager Omar López emphasized team purpose, stating before the game, “It is important that we believe that we can win. We are here for a reason. We have a purpose.”
The Joneses became the third father-son manager-player duo in WBC history. Venezuela improved to 1-0, while the Netherlands faces Nicaragua next.
