The gold medal and World Baseball Classic jersey Ronald Acuña Jr. wore three days ago in Miami were hanging in the Atlanta Braves’ spring training clubhouse on March 20 — in Ozzie Albies’ locker stall.
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A picture of the apparent prank was posted to Acuña’s Instagram account and shared in a screen grab that went viral.
Albies, who is from Curaçao, played for The Netherlands in the 2026 WBC. After going 1-3 in pool play, The Netherlands did not advance to the quarterfinal elimination round. Two WBC semifinalists, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, advanced from Pool D instead.
A 3-time All-Star, Albies went 3 for 15 (.200) with a home run in four WBC games for The Netherlands. Ostensibly Acuña didn’t mind having a little fun at his expense after leading Venezuela to its first-ever WBC championship.
Venezuela defeated the United States, 3-2, in the WBC championship game on March 20. The meaning of the game went beyond baseball for those wearing their country’s uniform.
In the aftermath of his team’s win, Venezuela manager Omar Lopez said, “we said to Venezuela today, ‘This is for you. This is for you. Enjoy it.’ This is a great way to end this World Classic.”
In his own way, Acuña is still relishing the win.
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