Team Venezuela marches to its own Tambor

MIAMI – While many World Baseball Classic teams relax in the minutes before games start, Team Venezuela has a celebration in the dugout at loanDepot park. Gathered in a circle, they chant, clap and dance to the pulse of the Venezuelan tambor, a drum that has beaten in their hearts since birth.

Everyone wants to be a part of it, and no one can take their eyes off of it.

“We always listened to tambor growing up,” catcher Willson Contreras said in Spanish. “We carry the tambor in our blood.” 

Tambor is a genre of music and dance that originates from Afro-Venezuelan culture. The wooden drum played is also called the tambor.

When Team Venezuela plays, the tambor plays, too. 

It starts in the dugout with relief pitcher Eduard Bazardo. He learned to play the tambor when he was just 7 years old, largely because of his older brother, Gabriel, who is a tambor singer. 

Venezuelan culture

“My family, we play a lot of drums,” Bazardo said. “My brother is a singer, and that is part of our culture in Venezuela. It’s part of us.”

Bazardo beats the drums while his teammates clap, and players like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Luis Arraez jump in the circle and dance. After getting a hit during the game, the player who recorded the hit turns to the dugout and makes a signal, pretending to beat the tambor. 

“Making this signal of playing the tambor is something beautiful that we dreamed of since we were kids,” Arraez said in Spanish. “Since my childhood, I’ve been dreaming of this moment, and now I’m living it.” 

More from Our Esquina

Political questions hound Team Venezuela at WBC

Jaelyn Bracamonte proudly represents Venezuela

Upset over USA validates Francisco Cervelli’s belief in Italy baseball

Arraez hit .500 during pool play. He leads Team Venezuela in hits, home runs, doubles and RBIs. His nine RBIs are tied with Fernando Tatis Jr. for the second most in the 2026 WBC. 

Team Venezuela finished second in Pool D, going 3-1 with a loss to the Dominican Republic. The team finished with the second-most hits in Pool D. Venezuela outscored its opponents 21-5 in its three wins. 

While the players mimic playing the tambor to celebrate a hit, the fans respond by beating tambores they brought from home. 

Unifying force

Fans march through the concourse in unison, beating their drums as other fans join in and dance. Then, they march down the aisles of the stands toward Venezuela’s dugout. Most of the drummers are fans who get together and use music to support Team Venezuela. 

One of the tambor groups is Malaconductason. The group is made up of three brothers, two best friends and an average of 30 family members who accompany them each game. They reside in Orlando, Fla., and have supported Team Venezuela since the 2023 WBC. 

“More than anything, it had to do with the Venezuelan heritage in baseball and bringing something that reminds the Venezuelan people of the baseball games in Venezuela,” Malaconductason leader Carlo Julio Guzman said.

Venezuela will face defending WBC champion Japan on Saturday at loanDepot park. The winner will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Puerto Rico and Italy. As Venezuela heads into the knockout round, its approach to the game remains the same: keep beating the drum. 

“Everything Venezuela represents is part of the tambor,” Contreras said. “We have used it as inspiration.”