The final out of the 2023 World Baseball Classic was like something out of a movie.
Ninth inning. Two outs. One-run ball game. And a pair of former MVPs – not to mention teammates – facing off in the final at-bat.
That’s how it played out, with Japan’s Shohei Ohtani striking out Team USA’s Mike Trout to win the WBC Final with a 3-2 victory.
After the game, Ohtani called it “the best moment of my life”. His Angels teammate Trout admitted “as a baseball fan, everybody wanted to see it.”
With the win, Japan wins its third WBC title, the most by any country.
Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbar summed it up best: “I think baseball won again”.