USA vs. Venezuela final score, results: Trea Turner grand slam propels USA to berth in semifinals

Kevin Skiver

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USA vs. Venezuela final score, results: Trea Turner grand slam propels USA to berth in semifinals image

For the second night in a row, the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic needed a dramatic comeback to determine a winner.

Team USA made the comeback this time in a 9-7 victory over Venezuela that clinched a semifinal berth. The Americans won a huge battle of wills against a Venezuela team that went 4-0 in pool play against the likes of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The United States will now play Cuba in Miami on Sunday.

FOLLOW LIVE: Updates, highlights from USA vs. Cuba in WBC semifinals

The hero of the night was Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, who hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning. Turner, who signed a $300 million contract this past offseason, helped erase a four-run fifth-inning rally by Venezuela that put the U.S. on the ropes.

The fact Turner, Team USA's No. 9 hitter, was even up in that spot took a stroke of luck. First, Tim Anderson walked; he had struggled the past two games. Then Pete Alonso, who also has been slumping, looped a ball that just found turf in right field. And then J.T. Realmuto was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

MORE: How much do the World Baseball Classic winners make in 2023?

Silvino Bracho came on in relief, and then Turner delivered an 0-2 changeup against the Reds minor leaguer.

Venezuela's Luis Arráez was a man on a mission. The 2022 American League batting champion, who had just eight home runs last season, hit two in his new home ballpark in Miami. The second put Venezuela up 7-5.

MORE: Who has the most WBC championships in history?

Lance Lynn threw four innings for the United States, giving up two runs in the first before going three scoreless. After Daniel Bard failed to record an out through four batters and injured Astros second baseman Jose Altuve with a pitch in the process, five USA pitchers went an inning each and gave up just one run. Ryan Pressly closed the win.

Team USA has a quick turnaround. It will play Cuba on Sunday because of a scheduling change that flipped quarterfinal matchups on Friday and Saturday. Only Lynn is ineligible to pitch, as he threw more than 30 pitches.

The Sporting News provided live score updates and highlights of USA vs. Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. Recap the thrilling game below.

USA vs. Venezuela score

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 F
USA 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 9
Venezuela 2 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 7

USA vs. Venezuela live updates, highlights from World Baseball Classic

(All times Eastern)

10:54 p.m. -- Santander continues to hack away at the plate. Several foul balls in a row. However, he finally pops out to Arendo at third! The United States gets the win 9-7 in an absolute thriller. Team USA will face Cuba on Sunday in the semifinals.

10:53 p.m. -- Pressly goes 1-2 on Santander, looking to put away the Orioles outfielder and send USA to the semifinals.

10:52 p.m. -- Escobar made good contact there, but Goldschmidt makes the stab for the second out. That'll bring up Santander, who has already had some big moments in this WBC.

10:50 p.m. -- Pressly immediately catches Giménez looking at a curveball, before getting Giménez to fly out to right center for the first out of the inning. Two outs away as the order turns over for Venezuela to Eduardo Escobar, pinch-hitting for Rengifo, who replaced Altuve.

Bottom of 9th inning: USA 9, Venezuela 7

10:47 p.m. -- It's ruled a single and an error for Anderson. Bobby Witt Jr. gets his first AB after replacing Pete Alonso on the bases. Astros closer Ryan Pressly will take the mound for the United States, three outs away from a semifinal berth.

10:46 p.m. -- Anderson has had his struggles through the last two games, but he sparked things for the United States with his leadoff walk in the 8th and now he hits one the other way and stretches it into two bases! He's so aggressive and fun on the basepaths. Great turnaround for the White Sox shortstop/USA second baseman.

10:44 p.m. -- Tucker strikes out on a sensational cutter from Alvarado, and there are two down for Anderson.

10:41 p.m. -- Arenado flies out to Peralta in left, bringing up Tucker and his huge game with one out. Tucker is 3 of four thus far.

10:40 p.m. -- Jose Alvarado is in for Venezuela, and he'll take on Nolan Arenado. He's 99 mph out of the pen, so not a step lost for the Phillies star.

Top of 9th inning: USA 9, Venezuela 7

10:37 p.m. -- Williams paints the outside black for strike two, and it's 2-2 on Gleyber. Torres goes the other way, and Betts makes the catch in right. We're going to the top of the ninth with USA up 9-7.

10:36 p.m. -- Big block there by Realmuto on a changeup in the dirt, and he picks another changeup easily. The Phillies catcher seems collected with Acuña on third.

10:35 p.m. -- Acuña takes third on a defensive indifference.

10:33 p.m. -- Third straight strikeout here for Suárez, as Williams gets him to go fishing on a high fastball. It's been a night to forget for the Mariners third-baseman. That leaves it up to Torres to try to drive in Acuña after the leadoff double.

10:31 p.m. -- Williams went down 3-0 on Peralta, but he battles back to get the Diamondback swinging. Massive first out here, and that brings up Suárez, who has struck out in his last two at-bats since being tagged out following a double.

10:28 p.m. -- Tremendous swing there by Acuña, as he hits one off the wall in the air from Williams. That's a leadoff double for Acuña, and Venezuela is in business as Peralta steps up. He's 1 of 3 with a single tonight.

10:27 p.m. -- Ronald Acuña Jr. will lead off for Venezuela against Devin Williams. Venezuela now has ground to make up after that dramatic turn of events.

Bottom of 8th inning: USA 9, Venezuela 7

10:25 p.m. -- An emotional Bracho gets Goldschmidt swinging, and he bounced back nicely after that grand slam. There's been a lot of ebb & flow so far in this game. Venezuela has six out to make up two runs.

10:23 p.m. -- No forcing there. Bracho gets Trout swinging on a nice little changeup for the second out. He's settling in after that disastrous start. Paul Goldschmidt comes up and immediately drives one foul with home run distance.

10:22 p.m. -- Devin Williams is in the bullpen for the United States, one of the team's top relievers out of Milwaukee. Trout, meanwhile, is full against Bracho, who is forcing a bit.

10:19 p.m. -- Betts gets some oohs and ahhs from the crowd as he skies one to center, but it's caught deep in the deepest part of the park. That brings Trout up with one down. The entire tenor of this game is now different.

10:18 p.m. -- Betts is up as the USA order turns over. But Team USA finds magic in the No. 9 spot. That's why this order was as highly-touted as it was.

10:17 p.m. -- TREA. TURNER. THE PHILLIES SHORTSTOP GOES DOWN 0-2 TO BRACHO AND THEN DRIVES ONE TO LEFT. He hits a grand slam to give USA a 9-7 lead! Unbelievable turnaround here!

10:16 p.m. -- Trea Turner is up with the bases loaded and no one out, and it's Silvino Bracho pitching for Venezuela.

10:11 p.m. -- And now Quijada has lost the plot! Realmuto gets plunked to load the bases, shoots Quijada a bit of a look after.

10:08 p.m. -- Not a great swing there by Alonso, but he finds a spot and it drops in! The United States has something brewing here, as the first two are on against Quijada. Bobby Witt Jr. is going to run for Alonso after one AB for the Mets first baseman, and Realmuto comes up in a big spot against Quijada after a mound visit.

10:05 p.m. -- Tim Anderson is up next, looking to spark some life into this USA team. He draws a walk, and Pete Alonso comes up to take on the lefty Quijada, ending Schwarber's night.

Top of 8th inning: USA 5, Venezuela 7

10:01 p.m. -- Luis Arráez times two! Arráez homers again down the right field line, and he is playing with absolute fire. That is now 25 percent of his 2022 home runs in one night here against the United States. The next batter flies out to left, but Venezuela gets a much-wanted insurance run here in the seventh.

10 p.m. -- Santander strikes out via foul tip, and that now brings up Arráez with two out and nobody on.

9:57 p.m. -- David Bednar is now in for the United States, as he faces off against Altuve's replacement Luis Rengifo. Rengifo flies out to Trout in center.

Bottom of 7th inning: USA 5, Venezuela 6

9:53 p.m. -- Tucker goes down looking to end the inning, and Quijada is PUMPED. Absolutely huge moment there for Venezuela. Team USA's outs are running out.

9:53 p.m. -- Tucker fouls one off Pérez's finger and Pérez was uncomfortable, but he's still in for the next payoff pitch.

9:51 p.m. -- Tucker has worked the count full. If he walks on the bases would be loaded for Anderson, who is slumping.

9:49 p.m. -- José Quijada is up for Venezuela now against Tucker, solely for the lefty lefty matchup. Tucker is up 2-0. If he gets on, the three-batter limit is in play.

9:46 p.m. -- Arenado comes up big for the United States here, as he finds a gap in left center and advances Goldschmidt to third. Didn't quite have enough on it to find the wall, so there'll be runners at the corners with two out for Kyle Tucker, who homered earlier in this one. Omar López goes to the bullpen, not wasting any time.

9:43 p.m. -- Goldschmidt wisely jumps on Hernández early in the AB. He yanks it into left for a hit, and that brings up Arenado with two down and Goldschmidt on first.

9:41 p.m. -- What a pitch by Hernández! He goes full on Trout and throws a gutty 99 mph fastball right by him. Great pitch as he continues to attack these USA bats. Paul Goldschmidt is up next.

9:39 p.m. -- The Royals' Carlos Hernández comes in in relief for Venezuela. He's staying up around 100 mph against Betts, and the count is full the first batter he faces. He gets Betts to pop out, and that's one down for Mike Trout.

Top of 7th inning: USA 5, Venezuela 6

9:34 p.m. -- Ottavino's slider is doing some work as he gets Torres swinging. That's followed by an outstanding defensive play by Arenado, who was playing the entire left side of the infield alone. Clean inning for Ottavino, and a much-needed one at that.

9:32 p.m. -- For the second time in this tournament, DeRosa is being questioned for not having a reliever up in time. First it was when Brady Singer was getting beat up on in Arizona against Mexico. Now, it's Bard's four-batter outing against Venezuela that cost the U.S. the lead. Signs of an inexperienced manager.

9:30 p.m. -- Adam Ottavino is on the mound now, looking to stop the bleeding for Team USA. Suárez strikes out swinging to start things off. And Torres is up next.

Bottom of 6th inning: USA 5, Venezuela 6

9:26 p.m. -- Garcia gets Turner swinging, and the tide of this game has complete changed in Miami.

9:24 p.m. -- Kyle Schwarber's ball looked like it had life off the bat, but he flies out to deep center for the first out of the inning. The second out comes on a ball slicing to right off the bat of Schwarber's teammate Realmuto. That brings up new Philly Turner with two out and Betts on deck.

Top of 6th inning: USA 5, Venezuela 6

9:19 p.m. -- Following Altuve's injury, Venezuela didn't miss a beat. Bard went on to walk Santander in an at-bat where wild pitch brought in a run. Jason Adam came in in relief, and Tim Anderson made a terrific play at second on a ground ball off the bat of Arráez to get a force at second. However, another run scored on the play, making it 5-4. On the next batter with two outs, Salvador Pérez doubled down the line to tie the game and leave himself on second and Arrâez on third. Ronald Acuña Jr. then hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to drive Arráez in and give Venezuela the lead. Adam finally got out of the inning with a Peralta groundout to Anderson at second, leaving the United States with work to do in the final four frames. Venezuela 6, USA 5.

9:04 p.m. -- Bard's woes continue as he smokes Altuve in the hand and Altuve is hurt. The bases are loaded with the first three batters Bard has faced, and DeRosa's hand may be forced. Altuve is obviously in a lot of pain and he goes to the dugout.

9:01 p.m. -- Bard straight up lost that pitch. A disastrous slider winds up eight feet off the plate and the runners advance to second and third. Wise mound visit here from Pettitte to try to calm Bard down.

9 p.m. -- Giménez with the "excuse me" swing and it chops past the mound. Arenado was charging hard but couldn't barehand it cleanly, so it'll be runners on first and second with nobody out and Altuve up. Dangerous territory for Bard.

8:59 p.m. -- That's not the start Bard was looking for. He walks Torres in five pitches, so the leadoff man is on for Giménez in the nine spot. Bard needs to get one before Altuve comes up.

8:58 p.m. -- Daniel Bard of the Rockies will take the mound in relief of Lynn. Huge, huge middle innings here.

Bottom of 5th inning: USA 5, Venezuela 2

8:53 p.m. -- Anderson's struggles at the plate continue, as he goes down swinging to get Garcia out of the inning. Tucker, however, gives the United States a big run.

8:51 p.m. -- Kyle Tucker wasn't going to be held homerless this entire tournament. He smokes that pitch from his teammate Garcia 105.2 mph off the bat down the right field line to put USA up 5-2. That ball got out quickly, and Tucker salutes coming home.

8:50 p.m. -- Arenado knew. He spins out of the way of a high curveball from Garcia that was called a strike, and immediately turned to dispute. His AB ends with a groundout to second, and that'll bring up Tucker with two out.

8:48 p.m. -- David Peralta didn't get an amazing jump on that ball off the bat of Goldschmidt, but he makes a terrific diving grab to put away the first batter of the inning. Potentially inning-shifting play there for Venezuela as Arenado comes up.

8:47 p.m. -- Garcia is back out for Venezuela, and this time around he's taking on Goldschmidt-Arenado-Tucker.

Top of 5th inning: USA 4, Venezuela 2

8:43 p.m. -- Biggest pitches of the game so far here, as Suárez is in a full count battling against Lynn. Lynn gets him swinging with a pitch high and Suárez dropped his bat in disgust. Gutty performance by the USA pitcher as his night is likely over.

8:39 p.m. -- Compliment a pitcher an he immediately gives up a hit. Peralta finds a gap and punches it through for a hit. So it's two out and one on first for Venezuela. Pettitte gives Lynn a visit as his start likely starts to wind down.

8:38 p.m. -- Acuña grounds to Turner at short for a routine play. Lynn is only at 50 pitches here through 3 2/3, as Peralta comes up.

8:36 p.m. -- Lynn is back out for the US for another inning, as Pérez grounds up the middle and is tossed out for the first out of the inning. Lynn is pitching to a lot of contact, but only Arráez and Suárez have really made him pay. Acuña is up next.

Bottom of 4th inning: USA 4, Venezuela 2

8:33 p.m. -- Trout rips one down the third base line but right at Suárez, who didn't have a choice but to catch it. Venezuela gives up a run, but given how the inning started, it could've been far worse.

8:30 p.m. -- Trout is up with a RISP and two outs for the second straight at-bat. He's down 1-2 to Garcia looking to capitalize this time. The 1-2 pitch is fouled off and he'll do it again.

8:29 p.m. -- Betts reaches out and pokes one into center for a sacrifice fly driving in Schwarber. Realmuto remains at second, and the error comes back to haunt Venezuela. USA takes a 4-2 lead.

8:26 p.m. -- INCREDIBLE play by Giménez with the infield in, as he spears on off the bat of Turner and gets him while holding both runners. That'll bring up Betts with one out and runners on second and third. Garcia still has work to do.

8:24 p.m. -- Turner hits one into the hole and Giménez skips it over the glove of Altuve. Schwarber advances to third on the miscue for the Venezuela infield, and Turner comes up with runners on second and third and nobody out. Mookie Betts lurks in the on-deck circle. 

8:23 p.m. -- Schwarber hit one hard right into the shift but it skirts under the glove of Altuve for a leadoff runner. That brings up Realmuto with nobody out and Schwarber on first.

8:22 p.m. -- Garcia is back out to see the bottom of the USA order. It'll be Schwarber-Realmuto-Turner looking to get to the top.

Top of 4th inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2

8:20 p.m. -- Arráez comes up for Venezuela and Lynn gets him to fly out to left to get out of the inning. USA holds onto its lead.

8:17 p.m. -- Santander got jammed up and he flies out to Tucker in left. Giménez holds at second with two outs.

8:16 p.m. -- Altuve chops one to third and ducks the double play, advancing Giménez. Runner on second, one out for Santander.

8:11 p.m. -- Giménez draws a leadoff walk for Venezuela, and DeRosa looks antsy in the dugout. Altuve steps up next with a runner on.

8:10 p.m. -- Andrés Giménez is up for Venezuela in the No. 9 spot, and Lynn is about to hit 30 pitches which would disqualify him to pitch against Cuba should USA advance. An inevitability, but notable nevertheless. As a reminder, the max in the quarterfinal round is 85 pitches.

Bottom of 3rd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2

8:07 p.m. -- Anderson grounds out to third, ending the fledgling threat and keeping it a one-run game.

8:05 p.m. -- Justin Tucker wasn't going to let his teammate off the hook. He ropes one into the corner for a double, and there is a runner on second with two out for Tim Anderson, who needs to find a way to break his funk.

8:03 p.m. -- Arenado grounded to short there but the throw pulled Arráz off the bag. It's ruled Arráez tagged Arenado out after the umpires convened, and that's two down for Garcia.

8 p.m. -- That's why he's a favorite. Garcia got Goldschmidt swinging with gas down the middle. It'll be Arenado with one out as Garcia looks for Venezuela's first clean inning.

7:58 p.m. -- Luis Garcia is out to face Goldschmidt-Arenado-Tucker for the United States. The Astros dealer has been a López favorite so far in this WBC.

Top of 3rd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2

7:56 p.m. -- Great cutter from Lynn gets Torres waving for the third out of the inning.

7:53 p.m. -- There's the clarity. López was upset the United States had time to challenge if Suárez came off the bag. After he review, he's ruled out on the tag. So instead of a runner on second and one out, it's nobody on two out with Gleyber Torres up next.

7:51 p.m. -- Suárez continues to rake for Venezuela, as he puts one off the base of the ball the other way. Lynn's cutter has been elevated tonight. Mookie Betts made a pretty incredible throw off the hop, but Suárez was in with a standup double. López is out talking to the umpires for some reason.

7:50 p.m. -- David Peralta led off for Venezuela and grounded into the shift for the first out of the inning. That'll bring up Eugenio Suárez, who has been excellent this WBC so far.

Bottom of 2nd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2

7:46 p.m. -- HUGE pitch from Ruiz. 2-2, he drops a curveball off the table to get Trout swinging and he is hyped. Venezuela gets out of the inning unscathed despite the leadoff double.

7:45 p.m. -- Trout will come up with two out and a runner on third. He's thrived on these situations the past few games.

7:43 p.m. -- Turner draws a five-pitch walk, and it's going to be Betts with the first two on. Betts comes up swinging straight into the 6-4-3 double play, advancing Realmuto to third. Altuve was hurt on the play, but he got back up quickly. Runner on third, two out.

7:41 p.m. -- Realmuto found a pitch there off the end of the bat and drops it in for a leadoff double. As John Smoltz pointed out, Team USA isn't hitting the ball hard. They're just following the age-old adage of "hit it where they ain't."

7:39 p.m. -- J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner will start things off for the United States before turning the order to Betts. Venezuela catcher Salvador Pérez is being looked at after taking a foul ball to the mask. Pérez is heading back behind that plate after Omar López took a look at him as well.

Top of 2nd inning: USA 3, Venezuela 2

7:35 p.m. -- Good swing there from Acuña but it ended up right at Trout for the third out of the inning. All the same, a one-run deficit looks a lot more manageable than three runs, especially with that early start.

7:34 p.m. -- Salvador Pérez looked like he might take the next pitch yard, but it's caught in deep left for the second out of the inning. Acuña is up next for Venezuela.

7:32 p.m. -- Luis Arráez! He homered only eight times for the Twins last season as the AL batting king, but he puts a charge in that against his former AL Central opponent and drives in two. Then he hit Lynn with a too small celebration along the way. What an answer from the new Marlin and Venezuela to make this a ballgame.

7:31 p.m. -- Santander popped one to third against the shift on an elevated cutter, and USA has its first out of the inning.

7:29 p.m. -- Welcome to the WBC: Defense optional. Altuve is first-pitch swinging on Lance Lynn, and he drives it to left for a base hit for Venezuela. They're looking for a rally of their own with their arguable MVP so far Anthony Santander up next.

Bottom of 1st inning: USA 3, Venezuela 0

7:26 p.m. -- Good job by Ruiz to minimize the damage for Venezuela. He gets Schwarber late on a fastball and Schwarber flies out to left to get Venezuela out of the inning. That makes it 3-0 USA after half a frame.

7:24 p.m. -- Ruiz gets Anderson swinging on a pitch that fell off the table, and that bring up Kyle Schwarber looking to drive in the runner at third with two out.

7:23 p.m. -- Tim Anderson now digs against his White Sox teammate José Ruiz. Anderson is still forcing things at the plate, as he goes down 1-2 swinging at a breaking ball.

7:20 p.m. -- That call gets overturned, and Tucker is out at first. That leaves Arenado at third with one out. Pérez is out after facing five batters, giving up five hits, and logging one out and three runs.

7:16 p.m. -- The United States just needed to get out of pools, but this is why this team is so dangerous. Nolan Arenado goes the other way for a hit before Kyle Tucker drives Goldschmidt in with a single up the middle. Arenado forced the issue and got to third, and Tucker seemingly got into second but Altuve is adamant he tagged him out. Venezuela looks like they're going to challenge the call. Five base hits to start the game for the United States. USA 3, Venezuela 0.

7:14 p.m. -- Pérez is very good at getting ahead in the count, but he isn't a big strikeout pitcher. Last year he had 7.7 Ks per nine, the same number as 2021. To that point, Goldschmidt goes down and takes a 2-2 changeup the other way to drive in Trout. USA 2, Venezuela 0.

7:12 p.m. -- The short version of all of that: It's USA 1, Venezuela nothing with a runner on third and nobody out for Goldschmidt.

7:10 p.m. -- Betts starts things out right for the United States as he ekes one past Altuve for a leadoff single. Mike Trout comes up and is first pitch swinging! It blooped into center and Betts got an incredible read on it, forcing a throw to third from Acuña that went into the dugout. Betts scores as the ball goes out of play, and Trout capitalizes on the deep outfield with a single and an advance to third on a fielder's choice and an error.

Top of 1st inning: USA 0, Venezuela 0

7:10 p.m. -- It's going to be Betts-Trout-Goldschmidt at the top of the order for the United States, keeping inline with the mode for Mark DeRosa's lineup.

7:01 p.m. -- As a reminder, the winner of this game will play Cuba Sunday night. Japan vs. Mexico is the other semifinal game Monday before the WBC championship Tuesday.

6:55 p.m. -- For those joining after pools, the United States enter this game 3-1 with wins over Great Britain, Canada, and Colombia and a loss to Pool C No. 1 Mexico. Venezuela, meanwhile, is 4-0, having taken down the vaunted Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

6:40 p.m. -- Welcome to USA vs. Venezuela. The United States will look to send Venezuela home with its first loss of the classic. Lance Lynn will be on the mount for Team USA against Venezuela's Martín Pérez. Here's a look at both lineups.

USA vs. Venezuela start time

  • Start time: 7 p.m. ET

The United States and Venezuela will begin at 7 p.m. ET. They'll be playing at loanDepot Park in Miami, home of MLB's Marlins.

How to watch USA vs. Venezuela in World Baseball Classic

  • TV channel: Fox
  • Live stream: FoxSports.com, fuboTV

The Fox family of networks is televising the World Baseball Classic, and USA vs. Venezuela will be on the main Fox network. 

The game can be streamed via FoxSports.com or fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

Kevin Skiver

Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver has been a content producer at Sporting News since 2021. He previously worked at CBS Sports as a trending topics writer, and now writes various pieces on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and college sports. He enjoys hiking and eating, not necessarily in that order.