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Once again, Team USA is the runner-up at the World Baseball Classic. Venezuela outlasted USA in the WBC Championship Game Tuesday night in Miami (VEN 3, USA 2), with Eugenio Suárez's go-ahead double in the top of the ninth proving to be the difference. It is the first championship for Venezuela on the international stage.

"Super happy. Thirty million people around the world were watching this game today. I'm very happy," Venezuela captain Salvador Perez said after Tuesday's win. "The World Series, as you all know, is one of the most important championships in the major leagues, but when you fight for your country, that goes beyond. That feeling, the country where you were born and raised, the sacrifices made by our parents, those people that helped us. That's why this means a lot to me and to Venezuela."

For USA, the story was a shocking lack of offense. After blowing out Brazil (15-5) and Great Britain (9-1) in pool play, which they were expected to do, USA scored 3, 6, 5, 2, and 2 runs in their final five games. They scored four runs in their last two games combined, all on home runs, and did not have a single at-bat with runners in scoring position in the Championship Game.

The culprits were numerous. Cal Raleigh went 0 for the WBC and got benched. Alex Bregman wasn't impactful. Bryce Harper didn't do anything until his eighth-inning home run Tuesday. Captain Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the title game. Following the loss to Venezuela, Judge said he's "pissed" about losing, and wants to represent USA again.

"I'm always fired up for the Yankees, but I'm still pissed about this," Judge said. "I'm looking forward to the next time we get a chance to put on the red, white, and blue, and take care of business."

All told, USA finished sixth in among the 20 WBC teams in batting average (.250), fifth in on-base percentage (.368), and seventh in slugging percentage (.428) despite a star-studded lineup. Their pitching was excellent (3.00 ERA and a WBC-record 83 strikeouts), but the offense was a colossal disappointment. It is the single biggest reason USA came up short.

Judge's next chance to represent USA could come in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, not the 2030 WBC. There is interest from all parties in MLB players participating in the Olympics for the first time in 2028, and when both sides want something, it usually happens. It's just a matter of working out the logistics, and there's plenty of time to do that.