The World Baseball Classic was full of exciting twists and turns.
Unfortunately, the Classic reached its end on Tuesday, but it certainly didn’t disappoint.
And as fate would have it, the tournament saved its best for last.
At the top of the ninth inning in the championship game, Team Japan turned to Shohei Ohtani to close things out and unseat Team USA as the defending champions.
With two outs, the only thing standing between Japan and a WBC title was none other than Ohtani’s Los Angeles Angels teammate in Mike Trout.
The battle was intense, with each star refusing to give an inch.
However, the dust settled after Ohtani snuck a 3-2 slider past Trout to end the game.
On Twitter, the WBC account tweeted a video featuring the entire at-bat.
Trout vs. Ohtani lived up to the HYPE! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/Z8aZAjpDRg
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 22, 2023
It certainly was an intense battle between arguably the two best players in all of baseball.
But an 87-MPH slider ultimately settled the score.
Indeed, it was the perfect way to cap off what truly was a legendary tournament.
Having Japan and the United States square off was one thing, but having Trout on one side and Ohtani on the other made it even more special.
And the matchup everybody was hoping and praying for ultimately took place.
At the end, it was Trout versus Ohtani competing against one another, hitter to pitcher to determine the winner of the WBC.
Team USA fought hard, but it was Japan who emerged victorious after a legendary Classic full of many exciting twists and turns.
NEXT:
Shohei Ohtani Earned A Special Honor On Tuesday
