Venezuela won its first ever World Baseball Classic title on Tuesday night, defeating Team USA 3–2.
The Venezuelan players were understandably hyped to bring their country the WBC title. Many players even got emotional on the field as it was arguably the biggest moment in some of their baseball careers.
One player who didn’t shy away from admitting winning the WBC title would be the No. 1 achievement in his baseball career was Ronald Acuña Jr. Sure, he’s won a World Series ring with the Braves, but winning a title for your home country just means something different for him. Acuña was one of the players who really soaked in the win while Team Venezuela celebrated on the field.
Acuña’s family got to join him on the field after Venezuela received their gold medals. Acuña has two sons, and he shared special moments with them while basking in all the celebrations. In a video posted by Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain on Tuesday night, Acuña appeared to really include his youngest son in the moment—the MLB star took the medal off of him and placed it over his young son’s head. He then put the championship goggles on his son’s head and picked him up.
Acuña then made his son put up a No. 1 with his finger to pose for pictures. His wife joined in on the photo op.
Ronald Acuña jr. took his WBC Gold Medal off and put it on his son.
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) March 18, 2026
pic.twitter.com/Lj8i0FuGQF
What a special moment for Acuña’s son to cherish in his life.
Acuña wasn’t the only MLB star to include his son on Tuesday night. Team USA’s Clayton Kershaw, who was making his final professional baseball appearance amid his retirement from MLB, played catch with his son on the field before the game.
The WBC caught Acuña’s reaction to Venezuela recording the final out in the bottom of the ninth to secure the title. The outfielder dropped to his knees and held his hands up in the air briefly before running to the infield to celebrate with the rest of his teammates. The crowd erupted in cheers for Team Venezuela.
An emotional Ronald Acuña Jr. celebrating Team Venezuela’s first #WorldBaseballClassic championship 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/366Fu1tJ90
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026
How Acuña fared in World Baseball Classic
This was Acuña’s first WBC appearance for Team Venezuela. He played in seven games, averaging .269/.424/.538. For comparison, he averaged .290/.417/.518 across 95 games during the 2025 MLB season, so his WBC numbers were pretty on par for him. Acuña had seven hits, 10 runs, four RBIs and two home runs during his run at the WBC.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ronald Acuña Jr. Shared a Sweet Moment With His Son After Venezuela's WBC Win.
