Getty Image / Megan Briggs
Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are two of the best players in Major League Baseball, and both play for the Los Angeles Angeles.. Somehow, the Angels are terrible despite these two stars.
But, the two teams they play for in the World Baseball Classic are really good. Japan and the USA met in Tuesday night’s finals, capping off a massively entertaining tournament. That is, unless you’re a Mets fan.
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner continued his red-hot hitting with a home run to put the USA up 1-0 early.
Trea turner. #Nattitude pic.twitter.com/GnjbVuXxjf
— PFT Commenter(DC Defenders 5-0) (@PFTCommenter) March 21, 2023
Japan answered right back, and didn’t even need Ohtani to do it. Munetaka Murakami hit a home run to tie it up at 1, and they went ahead on an RBI groundout later in the inning, 2-1.
Japan scored again to make it 3-1 on this home run.
¡PODER OKAMOTO! ¡PODER SAMURAI! 😤#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/YBXB0hKFdA
— LasMayores (@LasMayores) March 22, 2023
Kyle Schwarber made it 3-2 with this blast in the 8th.
DARVISH'S DADDY KYLE SCHWARBERpic.twitter.com/GIkVkpq9pJ
— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) March 22, 2023
Japan went to Ohtani to close out the game, and after walking Jeff McNeil, he induced a ground ball double play off the bat of Mookie Betts. That brought Trout to the plate as the tying run, down to the USA’s last out.
This is worth watching.
MUST SEE!
Relive Shohei Ohtani vs Mike Trout in its entirety pic.twitter.com/8ln13dH3fC
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 22, 2023
But, if you can’t, Ohtani struck Trout out on two 100mph+ fastballs and a slider from hell, and Japan won, 3-2.
People were going nuts on Twitter about this match of arguably the two best players in baseball.
Tonight, Shohei Ohtani:
⚾️ hit a baseball 114.0 MPH
⚾️ threw a baseball 101.6 MPH
⚾️ ran to first in 4.16 secondsIf that sounds completely insane, that's because it is. https://t.co/V2HudsuqTb
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 22, 2023
This was the greatest WBC ever played. From start to finish. The stories were incredible, right down to the Hollywood ending where Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout in the 9th inning of a one-run game to win the title. Absolutely amazing. The game of baseball put on a SHOW.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) March 22, 2023
And, the Japanese phenom was named MVP.
The 2023 #WorldBaseballClassic MVP: Shohei Ohtani! pic.twitter.com/iDcRPgXymU
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 22, 2023
Needless to say, it was a finish for the ages.