Team USA compiled a compelling roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, also thought to be bigger and better than the 2023 team, but fell victim to the same outcome. They came up just short in a 3-2 loss to Venezuela.
Team USA had its eyes set on getting their hands raised this time around but again was forced to accept second place. The players received their medals after the game from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, giving players like Philadelphia Phillies' slugger Kyle Schwarber a familiar feeling of silver draped around his neck for the second consecutive time. Schwarber's reaction to the medal can surely be felt by the entire team.
Kyle Schwarber made his thoughts known after the defeat, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“I always say you expect to win a baseball game when you walk out of the room, and to not have that to have that happen? It hurts,” Schwarber said.
“But give credit to Venezuela.”
It's an honor for any team to make it to the final of the WBC. A tournament of 20 whittled down to two is quite an accomplishment, but twice in a row can feel like a cruel joke. Schwarber's medal didn't even last the walk back to the dugout before he removed it from his neck. The gesture might not seem like much, but it's a microcosm of the disdain this team had for finishing anything but first this year.
Kyle Schwarber removing silver medal summed up Team USA's frustrations at WBC
The aspirations for Team USA were sky-high with the roster's incredible star power. Schwarber was the cleanup hitter the whole way through. In 2025, he finished second in the NL MVP after hitting an NL-leading 56 home runs. Schwarber has always been the more stoic presence in the Phillies' clubhouse, but the loss Tuesday night in Miami against Team Venezuela was just too much to hide. Team USA didn't have a perfect run to the title, dropping one game to team Italy in pool play, but the title run was still in their sights. They just looked like a club that was waiting to get into gear but stalled offensively, scoring just five runs over the last two games.
Kyle Schwarber took his silver medal off before he even made it to the dugout pic.twitter.com/avVq1u600k
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 18, 2026
Team USA fought back after a heroic attempt by Bryce Harper in the eighth inning to tie the game, giving them a chance to change their fate, but the United States went out with just a three-hit performance. It just wasn't enough.
The WBC is a tournament of pride for your country. Baseball fans across the globe got to experience that together in just a couple of weeks. So you can see why this affected Schwarber in the manner that it did.