Following two weeks of games, it all came down to the final which saw Japan defeat the United States, the birthplace of baseball, to win the World Baseball Classic title.
The final game of the 2023 WBC, a battle between the tournament’s two most powerful teams dominant teams, ended with Shohei Ohtani, also an accomplished batter, striking out his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout in the ninth inning to secure a 3-2 victory for Japan. Ohtani was later named MVP of the series.
Japan has secured its third WBC championship title, which marks the end of Team USA’s attempt to defend its crown.
The Japanese team showed exceptional performance throughout the competition, demonstrating their prowess on the baseball diamond regardless of their opponent.
Japanese baseball fans erupted in celebration following the team’s win in the World Baseball Classic. The country’s top circulating newspaper, Yomiuri, ran a special edition on Wednesday afternoon for commuters — a rare occurrence typically reserved for serious matters of state, late-breaking election news, or significant events such as the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which occurred last year.
This highlights the magnitude of the victory and the importance of baseball in Japanese culture.
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ファンの皆様、本当におめでとうございます！#WBC2023#TeamJapan pic.twitter.com/h6dRzF0nTT— ダルビッシュ有(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) March 22, 2023
