What's the story behind Venezuela's dugout dance at the WBC?

[ASFN Admin]

Throughout Venezuela's run to its first World Baseball Classic final in team history, the vibe inside that dugout has been uniquely Venezuelan.

And that will almost certainly be the case when Venezuela faces Team USA in Tuesday's WBC final in Miami. We'll be able to hear and see that camaraderie from the dugout.

While teams have gotten creative with home run celebrations for the tournament, the Venezuela dugout has taken part in a dance circle with a drum. The drum specific drum is called el tambor, and the dance (and music) is appropriately known as tambores.

It's one way the Venezuelan players have been able to inject their culture and spirit into the team.

Look out for Venezuela's dugout dance tonight. This is tambores, a specific type of music and from Venezuela.

“What you see right there, that's us,” Venezuela manager Omar López said. “That's our country. That's us. That's winter ball. That's how we enjoy our baseball." pic.twitter.com/xrfLHAFwml

— Michael Clair (@michaelsclair) March 16, 2026

Representing those traditions was the inspiration for the dance, via MLB.com:

“What you see right there, that's us,” Venezuela manager Omar López said. “That's our country. That's us. That's winter ball. That's how we enjoy our baseball. We understand everybody has a different culture. You go to Puerto Rico, they have a different way. La Plena in Puerto Rico, that's amazing. It's kind of the same, but it’s a different type of music. In the Dominican, it's Merengue, Ripiao, it's Bachata, Dembow. There's a lot of ways prior to the game they get loose and identify who they are and who we are.”

It's another reason why the WBC is a truly special event.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: What's the story behind Venezuela's dugout dance at the WBC?

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