MIAMI, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan reacts to a double play in the ninth inning against during the World Baseball Classic Championship at loanDepot park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
Japan outlasted Team USA in the WBC Final with an epic showdown to end the World Baseball Classic that had fans loving every second.
There was no other way for the World Baseball Classic to end than what we saw in Miami on Tuesday night.
Japan vs. USA, two baseball powerhouses, toe-to-toe. And with the Japanese up 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Shohei Ohtani took the mound to try and close out the game and secure the victory for his country in the WBC Final. After a walk and then a double play, the final out of the game came down to the only person it ever could’ve been: Ohtani’s Angels teammate, Mike Trout.
Two generational talents stared one another down to try and see which one would give way. Trout took the first pitch, swung and missed on the second, then repeated the process to get to a 2-2 count. After another ball, the count was full.
That’s when Ohtani uncorked an absolute filth-monster on his teammate with a 3-2 slider that was on the black. Trout swung but had no chance, giving Japan the WBC Final win and the gold medal at the World Baseball Classic.
Japan vs. USA in WBC Final makes fans fall in love with baseball all over again
Even though there was a heavy dose of American disappointment in the loss, the consensus among baseball fans was undeniable: The World Baseball Classic freakin’ ruled and that was the perfect finale.
For all of the talk from critics about how this was “meaningless exhibition” games that shouldn’t exist, nothing about that felt that way.
Whether it was Trea Turner’s grand slam (and subsequent homers), Munetaka Murakami’s walk-off double, Randy Arozarena’s heroics for Mexico, or the finale we got with Ohtani vs. Trout to decide the tournament, this was everything that makes the game beautiful.
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
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