TAMPA — As Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic team celebrated its tournament championship with a win over the United States in Miami, Fla. on Tuesday night, Oswaldo Cabrera hosted a watch party for his family at his Tampa residence on the other side of the state.

The Yankees’ utilityman, born in the Venezuelan city of Guarenas, said his mom was responsible for filming the gathering, especially the Cabreras’ reaction to the final out of a 3-2 win for his homeland. However, she botched the job, repeatedly obscuring her camera lens with her finger.

“We have no video,” the bubbly Cabrera said Wednesday morning, eliciting lots of laughs. “Just audio.”

That audio recorded Cabrera and his family crying tears of joy. That was also a common reaction among the Venezuelan team that won the WBC, a group that Cabrera said was “underestimated” because it didn’t have as much star power as some other rosters in the tournament, including that of Team USA.

“That means a lot for everybody, but especially for a country that is having tough moments,” Cabrera said, referring to his nation’s ongoing political and economic unrest, which has coincided with military intervention from the United States. “For all the country, everybody’s just focusing on one thing for at least one night, and that means a lot.”

Cabrera, beaming with pride, went on to explain that Venezuelan’s WBC championship “means everything” back home because his country doesn’t excel at many other sports. The U.S., he reasoned, also regularly contends for international championships in basketball, hockey and soccer, so winning the WBC may not have meant as much to Americans.

“To have this championship and sport for Venezuela is a big thing in Venezuela,” Cabrera continued. “So for us, it means way too much.”

Cabrera added that he texted former Yankees teammate Gleyber Torres, who played for the Venezuelan team.

“Thank you for making 30 million Venezuelan people proud,” Cabrera told him.

As for current teammates, Cabrera said it was “so weird” rooting against Aaron Judge, who captained Team USA’s silver medal squad. He felt a similar way about rooting against the U.S, as Cabrera appreciates the opportunities he’s been afforded stateside.

Those mixed feelings aside, Cabrera said he would love to represent Venezuela in future World Baseball Classics or even the 2028 Olympics, should major league players get the chance to participate in the latter. That wasn’t realistic this time around, as Cabrera had to go about his business slowly this spring after suffering a season-ending ankle fracture last May.

“I’m looking to participate in everything that I can for Venezuela,” Cabrera said. “When I was a kid, I always represented Venezuela, and I think that’s one of the most beautiful things that you can do for your country.”