The World Baseball Classic showdown will feature Team USA against Team Venezuela on March 17. While this marks Team USA’s third consecutive WBC final, Venezuela is playing in the final for the first time. And the matchup might come down to a fascinating clash on the mound, pitting a rookie sensation against a seasoned veteran.

On their way to their first final, Team Venezuela became the giant killers after defeating the defending champions, Samurai Japan, 8-5, in the quarterfinals. Venezuela also stopped Team Italy in the semifinals, who had been on a roll since beating Team USA in pool play.

After winning in 2017 and losing to Japan in 2023, Team USA is back in the finals. They were almost eliminated after losing to Italy earlier in the tournament. Captain Aaron Judge and his team overcame the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the semifinal, remaining the only favorite out of three in the tournament. For the final, Team USA’s manager, Mark DeRosa, has chosen the young Nolan McLean as the starter, while Omar Lopez is countering that with the experience of Eduardo Rodriguez.

A look at Nolan McLean’s tournament so far: Hits and misses

Team USA’s pitching fate in the WBC final rests not on any AL Cy Young winners or All Stars, but on the 24-year-old New York Mets starter Nolan McLean, who just had his rookie season.

In the WBC knockout rounds, Team USA has fielded veteran aces until now, such as Paul Skenes in the semifinals and Logan Webb in the quarterfinals.

For his WBC debut, McLean was handed a loss when he started against Team Italy in the pool play round. He started the first inning strong by striking out the top of Italy’s lineup, and one of his signature sweepers took Jon Berti out. However, in the second inning, Italy got the upper hand over the RHP with Kyle Teel’s solo and Sam Antonacci’s two-run home runs.

McLean’s pitching was limited to three innings, in which he recorded 2 hits, allowed 2 walks, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, and 4 strikeouts.

Ahead of the final, the Mets’ starter is confident in his abilities: “I’m built for this. I’ve been waiting my whole life for something like this.”

A look at Eduardo Rodriguez’s tournament so far: Hits and misses

While Team USA will go with rookie McLean for the final, Venezuela will lean on the experience of Eduardo Rodriguez against Team USA’s MVP and All-Star-filled lineup. Rodriguez entered the tournament with a decade of MLB experience in his arsenal.

He has made one start in the WBC 2026 against the Dominican Republic in the pool play, which Venezuela lost. The 32-year-old pitched for only 2.2 innings, allowing 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, while striking out 5.

In the very first inning, Juan Soto pulled a two-run homer off Rodríguez’s pitch, giving Team D.R an early 2-0 lead. Ketel Marte’s solo homer marked up another run against Rodríguez.’

During his short start, Rodriguez displayed some swing-and-miss, but the match ultimately ended in a loss.

How the two fare against each other: Nolan McLean vs Eduardo Rodriguez, stats, records, and more

McLean and Rodriguez will start the final on similar slates; both have lost their respective WBC 2026 outings. Furthermore, both have allowed 3 runs and 3 earned runs in their previous matches.

But the differences are plenty as well. While McLean just had his rookie season, Rodriguez has gathered a decade of major league experience.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitcher is coming off a 2025 season in which he went 9-9 across the 29 games he started. In the 154.1 innings he pitched, Rodríguez allowed 94 runs and 60 walks while recording 143 strikeouts, finishing with a 5.02 ERA. The LHP also has a World Series ring under his name, the one he won with the Boston Red Sox in 2018.

In Tuesday’s final, the Venezuelan will go against a hitting lineup captained by Judge, many of whom he has faced before in his long career.

On the opposite side, Nolan McLean will take the mound to stop the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr.

McLean started in eight games for the Mets in his debut season last year. He finished 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across the 48 innings he pitched, allowing 16 walks with 57 strikeouts.

Even in his lone 2025 defeat, McLean put on a show. The setback came against the division champions, the Phillies. However, he managed to silence their bats with eight shutout innings and only four hits allowed.

The Mets starter is expected to put on a show in the finale with his four-seam fastball (95mph) and power sinker alongside his sweepers and curveballs.

Neither Team USA nor Team Venezuela is going into the finals undefeated. Now, it’s up to the veteran and the rookie to pave the way for their respective teams to WBC glory.