Team Venezuela gathers in a circle in its dugout before each World Baseball Classic game, where pitcher Eduard Bazardo beats a drum called el tambor as players jump in and out to dance. This ritual represents tambores, a traditional Afro-Venezuelan music and dance style. The tradition highlights the team's cultural identity amid the tournament.
Before every game in the World Baseball Classic, players from Team Venezuela form a circle in their dugout. Pitcher Eduard Bazardo pounds a special drum known as el tambor, and teammates take turns leaping into the circle to showcase their dance moves. This practice embodies tambores, a traditional Afro-Venezuelan style of music and dance that can feature a single drum or a full band of drummers, serving as the backbeat for the performance. Daniel Alvarez, co-founder of El Extrabase and a writer on Venezuelan baseball, described it as very Caribbean, noting similarities in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic with national variations. He mentioned hiring a tambores band for his wedding and highlighted its prevalence in places like Ocumare de la Costa near Maracay, where Bazardo grew up, and La Sabana or La Guaira, hometowns of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Maikel Garcia. Tambores often energizes Venezuelan parties during 'hora loca,' or 'crazy hour,' around midnight, when it shifts from salsa or merengue to communal dancing, according to Allan Hrastoviak Arbelaez of the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Venezuela manager Omar López emphasized its cultural significance: “What you see right there, that's us. That's our country. That's us. That's winter ball. That's how we enjoy our baseball. We understand everybody has a different culture.” He joked about not joining in, saying, “I will not step in because I don't know how to dance tambor.” Pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus added, “We love it. I think we did it in the last WBC as well. We enjoy it when we hear that music. That's something that pumps us up and gets us ready for the game.” A popular band, Tambor Urbano, plays over the speakers throughout the tournament. Alvarez noted the value of showcasing this alongside Venezuela's strong baseball team: “It’s something pretty cool to show about our culture.”
