By Mallory Mattingly
The stage is set for the biggest international baseball tournament in history.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic began on Friday and features 20 different countries. One of those countries, Venezuela, took a moment to praise God in prayer before taking to the field for their practice.
“Exalt your greatness, Lord, so that the world understands that we are ballplayers, Lord, who honor and glorify your name, Lord, before the whole world,” the team prayed in the locker room, per Christhlete. “May each of us, when we step out, Lord, not be us taking steps but you leaving your mark, Jesus Christ. May our hearts, Lord, reflect the joy you’ve placed in us, Lord; the love of this beautiful game of baseball.”
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“You’re the only one who can do it, Lord,” the team continued to pray. “And I know you will. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, you will because you are great and glorious, Lord. Help us, Mighty King. Help us, Mighty King, because we need you to guide our steps, Lord, and give us supernatural strength to move forward, Lord, and lift up the name of our country, Venezuela.”
Despite escalated tensions between Venezuela and the United States, the Venezuelan baseball is focused on playing for their country.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” General Manager Omar López told CBS 17 News on Thursday. “I’ve been working in baseball for 28 years and I don’t talk about political stuff, to be honest. I’m here to talk about our Venezuelan team. I’m not here to talk about anything about political situations around the world, around my country. We are alive, we are here and we want to play for our team to win every single game here.”
“I don’t try to pay attention to that, you know,” Venezuela captain Salvador Perez shared with the outlet. “I understand when fans buy a ticket, they want to see the team win. Win or lose, it’s part of the game…I can control what I can control. The rest, God has control of that.”
Israel’s team manager, Brad Ausmus, hopes the World Baseball Classic will remain a place of joy and peace, rather than something turned political.
“To put it mildly, it’s interesting times right now,” Ausmus said. “So, I hope there is that kind of unifying joy that all these players, coaches, they’re representing their heritage, but they all have one thing in common and that’s baseball. I hope the fans enjoy it.”
The World Baseball Classic began on Thursday and will continue through March 17. The Venezuelan National Team has its eyes set on praising the Lord and keeping the tournament a place of joy.
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