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Exactly one year ago, on March 17, 2025 -- the Chicago Cubs sent Daniel Palencia out of major league Spring Training. He was ticketed to begin the season at Triple-A Iowa.
Lives can change forever in the course of 365 days. Palencia, at least in the world of baseball, is as good an example as any.
Palencia came up in mid-April, dominated almost from the start, became the Cubs closer, and is now their most-trusted reliever.
And more importantly for the kid who grew up in Venezuela learning to love the game of baseball -- he pitched well enough to become the closer at the World Baseball Classic for his home nation.
So there he was on Tuesday night, in Miami, one orbit around the sun removed from being sent down to the minor leagues, throwing the biggest pitch of his life.
Strike three, past Roman Anthony, into history.
Palencia had completed the spotless bottom of the ninth inning with Venezuela clinging to a one-run lead.
Venezuela 3, United States 2 -- a WBC championship for a country with immense baseball history, polished off by a closer who got the chance to put an exclamation point on his improbable rise.
Palencia had pitched in the major leagues before last season, but to the tune of a 5.02 ERA in 37 games.
But in 2025, he stopped walking hitters. He cut his career rate in half -- 5.4 per nine innings to 2.7 per nine innings.
That allowed his stuff to play up to an absurd level. Palencia is nearly unhittable.
Faced with three of the best hitters the U.S. has to offer -- Kyle Schwarber, Gunnar Henderson, and Roman Anthony -- it was clear that on this world stage, this inning belonged to Palencia.
Triple-A and the Iowa Cubs must've felt like eons in the past.
This was triumph, for individual and for country, of the absolute highest order.
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