Orix Buffaloes announced that pitcher Andrés Machado has been selected to represent Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic and will join the national team on March 1st. This will be Machado's second appearance in the tournament since 2013, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. "I want to give it my all for Venezuela so that we can end on a good note. Ideally, I'd like to see Japan and Venezuela play in the finals," he commented through the team. In 2013, his second year in Japan, he recorded 28 saves, third in the league. Machado's selection came after insurance issues regarding his participation in the WBC were resolved.
![[Orix Buffaloes] Andrés Machado joins the team. "We have to clear up insurance issues and other issues before we can play in the WBC with the Venezuelan national team."](https://hochi.news/images/2026/02/10/20260210-OHT1I51352-L.jpg)
![[Orix Buffaloes] Manager Mamoru Kishida hopes for the emergence of a "substitute closer"... With Machado joining the Venezuelan WBC team, "someone has to cover for him"](https://hochi.news/images/2026/02/06/20260206-OHT1I51391-L.jpg)
![[Orix Buffaloes] Machado's participation in the WBC depends on insurance in case of injury. Team General Manager Obama: "If he can adjust, we want to support him." He will be on the Venezuelan national team roster.](https://hochi.news/images/2026/02/10/20260210-OHT1I51398-L.jpg)
![[Yakult] Acquired a left-handed relief pitcher for the Venezuelan national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In 2020, he played alongside Shohei Ohtani at the Angels.](https://hochi.news/images/2025/12/19/20251219-OHT1I51153-L.jpg)
![[Orix Buffaloes] Kotaro Kobayashi: "For the first time in seven years, I didn't get a hit in Miyazaki." But is this a good omen?! Positive thinking will help him reach a new career high.](https://hochi.news/images/2026/02/27/20260227-OHT1I51363-L.jpg)
