Japan's World Baseball Classic title defense ends with 8-5 quarterfinal loss to Venezuela as Shohei Ohtani and defending champions fall short of semifinals.

Following an intense build‑up, the Kingdom of the Netherlands baseball team kicks off its World Baseball Classic campaign at 6 p.m. against Venezuela. Ahead of the Pool D opener in Miami, coach Andruw Jones emphasised that while the Dutch aren’t seen as favourites, they’re aiming to win in front of a packed crowd of more than 22,000 fans.