Ronald Blum | The Associated Press

Eugenio Suárez and his Venezuelan teammates stood on the stage behind second base with shiny medals draped over their proud chests, belting out their national anthem accompanied by tens of thousands of fans who remained in the ballpark a half-hour after the final out.

Aaron Judge says the World Baseball Classic has become baseball's biggest stage. Speaking after the U.S. beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 in semifinal, Judge said as the crowd's atmosphere: "It's bigger and better than the World Series."

The World Cup draw takes place Friday, featuring four debuting teams: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. The tournament, expanded to 48 nations, will run from June 11 to July 19 across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

A federal appeals court says a promoter's lawsuit against FIFA and the U.S. Soccer Federation can proceed to trial after a lower-court judge had thrown it out.