Andres Gimenez Lands Blue Jays Bragging Rights as Venezuela Wins WBC

Fifteen Toronto Blue Jays started the World Baseball Classic. One walked away with the winning team.

Infielder Andrés Giménez and Team Venezuela beat Team USA, 3-2, at loanDepot Park in Miami. Venezuela won its first title in country’s history.

In doing so, he claims bragging rights over three Blue Jays that played for Team USA — infielder Ernie Clement, closer Jeff Hoffman and reliever Tyler Rogers.

Blue Jays in the WBC

TEAM VENEZUELA 🇻🇪
CHAMPS 🏆#WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC pic.twitter.com/1hDTJWcI5V
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026

Giménez watched most of the championship game form the dugout. He entered the game in the ninth inning after Venezuela got the go-ahead run from a Eugenio Suárez double that scored Javier Sanoja. He flew out and remained in the game as a defensive replacement at second base. That put him in a position to be on the field when the celebration started.

Giménez joined the Blue Jays last season and slashed .210/.285/.313 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 101 games in his first season. He helped Toronto win the American League pennant and reach the World Series for the first time since 1993.

Clement did not appear in the championship game. He played in four games and slashed .200/.429/.200 with two walks. He had a breakthrough in 2025 as he slashed .277/.313/.398 with nine home runs and 50 RBI. He played several different positions and was a finalist for a Gold Glove twice — as a third baseman and as a utility player. In the playoffs he broke the MLB record for most hits in a postseason with 30, as he slashed .411/.416/.562.

Rogers recorded two outs in the U.S. semifinal win and pitched the final two outs for Team USA in the finale against Venezuela. He didn’t allow a run in either appearance. Toronto signed him in the offseason after he had a solid year as a set-up man for the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets. Combined, he was 4-6 with 1.98 ERA in an MLB-leading 81 games, with 48 strikeouts and seven walks in 77.1 innings.

Hoffman was added to the U.S roster for the semifinal game but didn’t pitch in either contest. He went 9-7 with 33 saves and a 4.37 ERA last season. He is expected to close games again in 2026, though Toronto signed Rogers to work in front of him.

Other Blue Jays that were part of the World Baseball Classic included Willis Cresswell (Great Britain), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic), Leo Jiménez (Panama), Alejandro Kirk (Mexico), Adam Macko (Canada), Ismael Munguia (Nicaragua), Kazuma Okamoto (Japan), Yariel Rodríguez (Cuba), RJ Schreck (Israel) and C.J. Stubbs (Israel).

Previous WBC champions include Japan (2006, 2009, 2023), the Dominican Republic (2013) and the United States (2017).