MIAMI — There would be undeniable political overtones when the United States and Venezuela met on a baseball field Tuesday night in Miami just three months after a U.S. military invasion removed by force the other country’s president.

That emotional edge may be why Venezuela is the World Baseball Classic champion today over the favored Americans.

It was a 3-2 final on the scoreboard as Eugenio Suarez’s ninth-inning double in the gap plated the winning run off reliever Garrett Whitlock — after Bryce Harper’s two-run home in the eighth had briefly tied it.

Harper pointed to the American flag on his jersey sleeve as he slowly rounded third, luxuriating in his hero’s trot. The feeling would not last. It would be only the third and last hit of the night for the U.S.

It was a bigger rout in the sold-out crowd of 36,190 at Marlins Park as pro-Venezuela fans sounded as if they had a two-thirds advantage.

The winning players were thinking of their fans, especially those back home dealing with the political upheaval and uncertain future.

“Our country deserves this game,” as Venezuelan star Ronald Acuna Jr. put it simply.

Said manager Omar Lopez: “I’m not going to answer anything about the political situation, because I work in baseball. But I think it’s more important to win, to keep our country happy, celebrating, and keep making noise that for the first time we’re in the [WBC] final.”

Tuesday’s WBC championship game happened just three months after American military action against Venezuela involved air strikes and the capture and continued detainment of President Nicolás Maduro. It was an action broadly seen as counter to international law because it lacked U.N. Security Council authorization, infringed the national sovereignty of another country and lacked the justification of self-defense. The Trump Administration portrayed the military action as legitimate law enforcement against a narcoterrorist regime and the human-rights abuses of the Maduro government.

Polls suggest most Venezuelans supported the ouster of Maduro but not its country being invaded militarily.

And here we were Tuesday, U.S. vs. Venezuela, on the diamond this time, umpire shouting, “Play ball!,” fans cheering.

The American players had their own emotional incentive.

This wasn’t about the money. The players on the United States team in this WBC will make a combined $383.3 million this coming MLB season.

The Americans’ team motto for this tournament was ‘FOR GLORY’ — but these guys get plenty of it. This was bigger than that, too.

This was about something as simple yet profound as national pride, something recently reawakened in many of them. It’s why the biggest stars in baseball showed up for Tuesday night’s championship wearing game jerseys worn by Team USA hockey players in their recent Winter Olympics gold-medal triumph over Canada.

Canada owned hockey ... then America took it.

And America invented baseball ... and aimed to make a statement of ownership.

It fell short as Venezuelans at Marlins park cheered loud enough to be heard back home.

The retractable roof stayed closed over the threat of rain and unseasonable chill in the air.

Miguel Cabrera and Ken Griffey Jr. tossed the ceremonial opening pitches. Afterward, celebrating on the field, Miggy, who is Venezuelan, had tears in his eyes.

This was the sixth iteration of the every-few-years WBC with the U.S. seeking only its second championship, after winning in 2017. Japan had won three and now Venezuela one.

The American players hoped something about the USA jersey across the chest would finally click again.

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, the U.S. team captain, said after the Americans’ 2-1 semifinal advance over the Dominicans Republic on Sunday in Miami that the WBC is “bigger and better than the World Series.” He’s played in both. “The passion that these fans have, representing their country, representing some of their favorite players,” he said, “there’s nothing else like it.”

This sixth WBC since 2006 compares to 121 World Series. Judge’s comment sent shock waves. But it spoke to the unique power of international competition, of us against them. It’s why the Olympics mesmerize and enthrall even as we’re watching curling and synchronized swimming — sports utterly off our radar but for two weeks once every four years.

But baseball, forever America’s Pastime, needs no introduction. Even with diversity welcomed and encouraged, nearly three-quarters of all MLB players still are U.S-born.

Said USA manager Mark DeRosa: ”I was a part of this in 2009 as a player and didn’t really understand what we were getting into, right? And then I was able to manage in 2023. And to see the passion, the game against Mexico, the game against Venezuela, the game against Japan. I credit the Latin American countries, I credit Japan, I credit the other countries for kind of forcing the United States’ hand to get in on this. There’s something very powerful about playing for your country.”

That was not enough.

Red, white and blue and Venezuela’s yellow, blue and red filled the stadium — as did the political overtones the WBC could not ignore.

Real life also arose in the previous WBC held in 2023 as the U.S. and Cuba played in a semifinal game at the Marlins’ ballpark in Little Havana. There was support for the Cuban team from some in Miami’s Cuban exile community but also protesters condemning the Cuban government, with fans chanting, “Patria y Vida” (homeland and life) and lifting signs bearing the names of political prisoners.

This time it was the Venezuelans who owned the emotion, not to mention the pitching and the timeliest of hits.

And in the end the words of that team’s manager would resonate, and echo.

“Our country deserves this game.”

It was hard to argue.

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