World Baseball Classic: Japan Beats Team USA to Become World Baseball Champions After Shohei Otani Strikeout

A new World Baseball Classic Champion has been crowned as Japan outlasted Team USA in a very close match between the best baseball team in Asia and the best baseball team in the Americas.

The ending came in dramatic fashion, too, as Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Otani struck out his teammate, Los Angeles Angels star and Team USA captain Mike Trout, at the bottom of the 9th inning to seal the championship victory for the Japanese squad with the final score, 3-2.

This would be Japan's third World Baseball Classic title after winning the tournament's first two iterations. Samurai Japan had stayed undefeated throughout the tournament, though they were almost defeated by Mexico last night in the semifinals and had to come from behind to win.

Coming into the match, Team USA had the better hitting, as its lineup was stacked with veritable MLB all-stars like Trea Turner and Mookie Betts. However, Japan had the better pitching, and this was showcased as they held the mighty American squad to just two runs by the end of this final match, which was held in the Americans' home turn in Miami, Florida.

Shohei Otani Named World Baseball Classic MVP

USA Today pointed out that Shohei Otani, a complete package pitcher who could not just strike out MLB stars but also hit a ball out of the stadium for a home run, added to his legend during the final inning of baseball's answer to the soccer World Cup.

Otani played relief pitcher to close out the 9th inning against the Americans, and he was doing it against his teammate, Mike Trout. It was dubbed MVP vs. MVP, as both players have won MVP honors back in MLB, all while playing for the same team.

This was the first time Otani had played relief pitcher since 2018, and he made it count as he struck out his Angels teammate to hand Japan its third WBC championship. He was then named MVP of the entire tournament.

Before the game, the MLB all-star reportedly gave a rousing speech to his Japanese teammates, telling them to forget about the names on the back of Team USA's jersey, ignore their baseball cards - and believe they can win for their country.

So far, only three countries have won the World Baseball Classic since it started in 2002. Japan has now won thrice, with the USA and the Dominican Republic, each having won the tournament once.

Team USA Came into the Final Hot

While Japan was undefeated, the team struggled against Mexico, which upset the United States earlier in the tournament. The eventual champions had to dig deep and come from behind to defeat the Mexicans. However, the story was different for the Americans.

Coming into the final match, the Americans were red hot.

After surviving Venezuela, they had to face Cuba next, and this was when the Americans showed how good their hitting was, scoring 14-2 in a one-sided rout. However, Japanese pitching managed to shut down that intimidating American hitting, as Venezuela-Cuba game hero Trea Turner was not only shut down in the match, he was shut down twice.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: USA vs. Japan Highlights | 2023 World Baseball Classic Championship - Fox Sports