Francisco Rodríguez, Endy Chávez, and Tomás Pérez were elected the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame as the Class of 2026 by the Contemporary Committee, while the Venezuelan team that won the 2026 World Baseball Classic was unanimously elected by the Historical Committee, the institution announced on Wednesday.
According to a press release issued by the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame, Francisco Rodríguez received 78% of the vote, while Endy Chávez received 76% and Tomás Pérez 75%, the minimum required to enter the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame.
Francisco “El Kid” Rodríguez finished his 16-year career in Major League Baseball with 437 saves, the fourth-most all-time, behind Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601), and Lee Smith (478).
He set the MLB record with 62 saves in 2008 while playing for the Los Angeles Angels. He won the World Series in his rookie season with the Angels in 2002, striking out 28 batters in 18.2 postseason innings.
In the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, he pitched for 10 seasons with the Tiburones de La Guaira (2002-2011), posting a lifetime ERA of 2.71 (33 ER/109.2 IP), a 1.09 WHIP, and an outstanding 30 walks to 163 strikeouts ratio.
Endy Chavez played for 13 years in MLB from 2001-14 with the Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos, Nationals, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles. He batted .270/.308/.364 with a .672 OPS in 1,151 games.
His most memorable moment in the Major Leagues occurred in left field, when he made one of the most impressive catches in postseason history. “The Catch”, as it’s known in New York Mets lore, is perhaps the most celebrated play by a team that ultimately lost a decisive game: Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series.
In the LVBP, he won six championships, three with the Navegantes del Magallanes (2001-02, 2012-13, 2013-14), and one each with the Tigres de Aragua (2003-04), Caribes de Anzoátegui (2010-11), and Águilas del Zulia (2016-17).
Tomás Pérez appeared in 12 seasons in the Majors, between 1995 and 2008, wearing the uniforms of the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Houston Astros, serving as a utility player.
He is one of 10 players in LVBP history with at least 1,000 hits, and his total of 1,010 is the eighth highest. He played 24 seasons with Petroleros de Cabimas, Pastora de Occidente, Caribes de Oriente and de Anzoátegui, Leones del Caracas, Navegantes del Magallanes and Cardenales de Lara. He is one of eight hitters in LVBP history with at least 400 runs scored (479) and 400 runs batted in (407).
The Venezuelan team won the 2026 World Baseball Classic, beating the United States 3-2 in the final, thanks to an RBI double by Eugenio Suárez in the ninth inning.
Maikel García led the Criollos, was included in the All-Star team and won the Most Valuable Player award.
After the first stage and the quarterfinals, where Venezuela eliminated defending champion Japan, the semifinals saw the United States and Venezuela advance.
Venezuela has played in every WBC, but only under the leadership of manager Omar López did they embrace glory. The manager, along with pitching coach Johan Santana, overcame the obstacles of the tournament's pitching restrictions thanks to a long relief plan that prevented opposing batters from seeing pitchers for a second or third time in a game.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez started against the United States, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, with four strikeouts.
Venezuela finished with a 6-1 record and a 2.86 ERA (20 ER/63.0 IP), while the offense combined for an offensive line of .261/.335/.440, with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 39 RBIs, nine stolen bases in 11 attempts (82%) and a .775 OPS.