Watch Ozzie Albies Pays Up on WBC Bet With Ronald Acuña Jr.

NORTH PORT – Some friendly rivalry has made its way into the Atlanta Braves clubhouse. Right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and second baseman Ozzie Albies both took part in the World Baseball Classic with some skin in the game.

The Braves' stars sat in opposite dugouts for the first time in their career, so naturally, the two All-Stars put a bet on the outcome of their scheduled matchup. Acuña and Team Venezuela took home the win in that game, then went on to win the entire tournament. After Acuña returned from Miami, he made sure to hang that jersey in Albies’ locker as a reminder of their bet.

A man of his word, Albies paid up on his bet on Friday in North Port.

¡Las apuestas se pagan! 👏😅

Ronald Acuña Jr. publicó en sus historias de Instagram dos videos relacionados a la apuesta que hizo con Ozzie Albiers antes del Clásico Mundial de Béisbol. 🔥

Al perder Países Bajos ante Venezuela, Albies tenía que usar la camisa "El Abusador". 🇻🇪… pic.twitter.com/0jrT1GVOJ4
— BeisbolPlay (@beisbolplaycom) March 20, 2026

“I told him as long as he signs it for me, I'll wear his jersey, so I can put it in my trophy room when I finish wearing it,” Albies joked.

Acuña returns to the Braves after an outstanding tournament performance. He led the baseball-rich Team Venezuela to the first title in their nation’s history. The right fielder slashed .269/.424/.538 with a .963 OPS over seven games. He scored 10 runs, hit two home runs, had four RBIs, stole two bases, and forced seven walks.

“I made my people proud, I made my country proud,” Acuña told MLB’s Mark Bowman. “We play for them, and that’s our country.”

He was noticeably emotional as Venezuela recorded the final out against Team USA in the championship game. Afterwards, he called it the best moment of his MVP- and World Series-winning career.

Now, the star is back in the Braves’ locker room in North Port, and he is excited to keep playing the sport he loves with a teammate he loves to poke fun at.

“I’m just excited to see my teammates,” he said. “Ozzie is wearing my jersey today, so I’m so excited… I told him before the World Baseball Classic that he can’t beat me.”

In their head-to-head matchup, Acuña finished with a double and scored a pair of runs from the leadoff spot while Albies struggled at cleanup, going 0-for-4.

Albies also had a solid performance. In a moment that he referred to as a top-three moment of his career, the second baseman hit a walk-off three-run home run to defeat Nicaragua. Unfortunately for him, that win was not enough to power Team Netherlands into the knockout rounds of the tournament.

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