WBC 2026: Acuña Powers Venezuela Past Nicaragua 4-0; Venezuela Heads to Rivalry Game Undefeated

With their ticket already punched to the quarterfinals, Venezuela might have looked ahead to Wednesday's rivalry game against the Dominican Republic. Not Ronald Acuña Jr.—his focus was squarely on Nicaragua on Monday night, March 9, 2026, at loanDepot Park in Miami. Acuña was in the middle of the action for each of the first three runs in Venezuela's 4-0 win over Nicaragua in Pool D, going 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. He said: "That's part of my game. Sometimes I can hit a homer, sometimes I can steal a base, sometimes I can play defense. I can do it all." The rest of the lineup had only two hits—the bottom six went 0-for-21—but seven Venezuela pitchers combined for the sixth shutout in the country's WBC history, tying Puerto Rico for the most ever. Manager Omar López said: "If you have pitching and defense, you have a lot of chances to win games. You just need one hit, a homer, or somebody to step up and be the hero. Acuña was our hero tonight."

Now Venezuela can focus on Wednesday's showdown with the Dominican Republic (8 p.m. ET, FS1)—the loser will face defending champion Japan in the quarterfinals. Acuña said: "It is important to manage the anxiety, the adrenaline. We're going to have 40,000 people here at the stadium. There is a classic rivalry between both countries and we hope to win. We just have to control our emotions." Dusty Baker's Nicaragua finished 0-4—the country's second straight winless Classic—and will need to go through a WBC Qualifier to participate in the next tournament. Baker said: "I don't feel much joy and happiness after a loss, but the teams that beat us had excellent pitching. They also had good hitting, especially the Venezuelans and the Dominican Republic. We're not where they are yet. Hopefully in the near future we'll catch up to them."

Acuña got things started in the first: leadoff walk, stolen second, advance to third on a throwing error, then scored on Jackson Chourio's sacrifice fly—Chourio's first appearance in the Classic after missing the first two games with a left hand contusion. Venezuela doubled its lead in the third on Acuña's first homer of the WBC, a two-out 402-foot shot to right-center. His RBI single in the fifth stretched the lead to 3-0; to that point, Acuña's two hits were his team's only hits. Baker said: "Acuña does damage all the time. This guy's a combination of speed and power. He's a great outfielder. I was surprised at how well he still ran after the injuries." Nicaragua actually out-hit Venezuela 7-5 but went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position; three Nicaragua errors helped Venezuela, and two of the four runs were unearned. Baker told his team: "Go home, hold your head up. Feel proud that you represented your country and you will be better in the future."

Pool D standings (through March 9, 2026)

*Source: ESPN WBC standings.*

Names to watch for AthX

Venezuela features Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), Jackson Chourio (Brewers), Luis Arraez, Salvador Perez (Royals), and Maikel Garcia. Nicaragua had Carlos Rodriguez (Brewers) and Freddy Zamora. WBC performance does not affect dynamic pricing—AthX prices are driven by MLB performance—but a strong tournament can boost narrative and demand before Opening Day.

*Sources: MLB.com – Acuña was our hero tonight: Venezuela heads to rivalry game undefeated; ESPN – Venezuela 4-0 Nicaragua recap; ESPN WBC standings. Fact-checked March 9, 2026.*