Gunnar Henderson and Cal Raleigh were left out of the lineup by Mark DeRosa tonight

Here we go: tonight, the U.S. and Venezuela will face off for the World Baseball Classic title.

Of course, given Donald Trump's attacks on Venezuela earlier this year, it's easy to imagine that Venezuela's players will be giving it their all to beat the U.S.

Will it be an easy challenge? No. Both sides have talented players who will be looking to win the game.

For the U.S., the lineup unveiled by Mark DeRosa reminds us just how deep the roster is. Cal Raleigh and Gunnar Henderson won't be there. Alex Bregman and Will Smith will be at third base and behind the plate.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS! pic.twitter.com/1X8lLnS1kW— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 17, 2026

Smith is better defensively, and Raleigh hasn't managed to get a hit since the start of the tournament. But leaving Henderson out has drawn criticism for the U.S. manager.

That said, since Henderson is a left-hander (the reason he isn't starting tonight), I expect to see him, if needed, as a pinch hitter in the game, which starts at 8 p.m.

That said, the fact remains that the two players with the best OPS on the team since the start of the tournament (Gunnar Henderson and Pete Crow-Armstrong) are out.

DeRosa, who saw his MLB Network colleague take the blame for his mistake last week regarding the tournament format, had better win to avoid further criticism.

Matt Vasgersian takes blame for Mark DeRosa's Team USA WBC controversy https://t.co/esbSLk1dwd pic.twitter.com/edvInv58qM — New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 17, 2026

It's worth noting that on the bench, Garrett Whitlock and Mason Miller, two big names, are available tonight for the Americans. At least that's what the United States is currently leading us to believe, but it might just be a bluff.

It's going to be quite a game tonight, in any case.

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