USA wins coin flip and will be home team in final vs. Venezuela

MIAMI -- When MLB instituted its current postseason format in 2022, there was no longer a need for coin flips or tiebreaker games, because a new, mathematical tiebreaker system was instituted.

But lovers of the coin toss will be pleased to know it can still happen in the World Baseball Classic. And it actually determined which team will bat last in Tuesday’s finals at loanDepot park.

Team USA won a coin toss Monday against Venezuela and will be the home team in the championship game. The coin toss was necessary because the United States and Venezuela have identical 5-1 records in this tournament.

The U.S. got to make the heads or tails call on the flip based on the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings from the start of the 2026 tournament.

Had Italy won Monday night in the semis, there would have been no need for a coin toss, as the Italians would have been 6-0 and would have had the home-field edge.