Team USA came so close to winning the World Baseball Classic final on Tuesday night in Miami.
But after the game, and Team Venezuela’s victory, something much better than a championship occurred.
Speaking to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal during the on-field celebration, designated hitter Eugenio Suarez, who hit a go-ahead, top-of-the-ninth RBI double for the freshly-crowned WBC champion Venezuela, repeatedly and joyously praised Jesus.
“What can I say about this?” Suarez told Rosenthal in a clip posted to the social media platform X. “It’s amazing. God is good.”
As he spoke, Suarez grew more animated.
“All the glory is for Lord Jesus,” the hero of the game continued. “He was with us the whole time. We have to glorify, put His name in front of everthing.”
Moments later, Rosenthal asked Suarez to recall his thoughts while standing on second base after the double.
“I just pray all the time,” Suarez replied. “Pointing to my family out there. They was happy for me. God is good, man. God is good.”
With a runner on second base and no outs, Suarez hammered a 3-2 pitch into the left-centerfield gap to score the go-ahead run. Venezuela then held on for a 3-2 victory.
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Unfortunately for U.S. baseball fans, Suarez’s heroics spoiled an electric moment for the Americans.
With two outs and a runner on first base in the bottom of the eighth inning, Team USA first baseman Bryce Harper launched a game-tying two-run home run to center field.
A packed stadium of more than 36,000 fans at Miami’s loanDepot park erupted.
But the 34-year-old Suarez, set to embark upon his 13th major-league season, this time as the starting third baseman for one of his former teams, the Cincinnati Reds, put Venezuela back in front for good.
It was a heartbreaker for many Americans, of course, who would have loved a different result. But God knows what we need far better than we do ourselves.
And He gave it to us in the form of Suarez’s joyous testament to his Christian faith.
This article originally appeared on The Western Journal and is reposted with permission.
