Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic victory over the United States was an emotional one, as evident in their players’ reactions after the final out.
The Giants had two representatives on the Venezuela squad that won gold, infielder Luis Arráez and reliever José Buttó.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale shared an anecdote Saturday illustrating what the win meant for Arráez, a native of San Felipe, Venezuela. Arráez was asked why he didn’t have his gold medal with him at spring training, like many of his international teammates.
“I don’t have it. I gave it to my mom,” Arráez explained. “She’s the one who deserves it.’’
When San Francisco Giants 1B Luis Arraez was asked why he wasn’t wearing his WBC gold medal to the ballpark like most of his Venezuelan teammates: ‘I don’t have it. I gave it to my Mom. She’s the one who deserves it.’’
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 21, 2026
Since Arráez plays professionally in the US, it probably is fair to say the chance to represent his country on the international level means a little extra to him. Earlier this week, Arráez shared his emotions about the experience.
“That’s so big for me, for my family and then for my country,” Arráez said (via MLB.com’s Maria Guardado). “To get there and try to do my thing and then try to bring the energy, try to score runs, try to get outs for my country is amazing.”
Still, Arráez and Buttó weren’t shy to celebrate their victory upon returning to Giants camp. San Francisco ace Logan Webb, a key member of the USA team that lost in the final, revealed some annoyance this week over the “ragging” he received from his Venezuelan Giants teammates.
Clearly, there should be no doubt as to how much the WBC meant to the players involved.
But now, it’s almost time for Opening Day, with the Giants kicking off the 2026 MLB season on Wednesday against the New York Yankees.
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