Tag: 2023 World Baseball Classic

Australian pitcher shared a fun video on his very relatable mindset as he struck out Shohei Ohtani

“Act cool, Todd.”

Striking out Shohei Ohtani is no easy feat, but Australian pitcher Todd Van Steensel was able to do just that during the World Baseball Classic.

While the World Baseball Classic may be over, and Ohtani now a world champion after striking out teammate Mike Trout in the final, Van Steensel gave fans a unique insight into his mindset during the tournament. Specifically, when Van Steensel struck out Ohtani during pool play of the World Baseball Classic.

The video is a fun little breakdown of Van Steensel’s internal thought process in the moment, from fanboying over Ohtani to his pitching processes to get the strikeout. Plus, of course, Van Steensel had a hilarious inner celebration after getting Ohtani to swing and miss on a fastball.

Pretty insightful commentary!

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The Angels should be embarrassed after Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani’s epic showdown in the WBC final

The Angels’ failures with two generational players were on display for all the world to see.

The baseball world was abuzz Wednesday morning with talk of an incredible World Baseball Classic final between the United States and Japan that ended with the most storybook finish possible.

Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, teammates and arguably the two best players in the world, went head-to-head with two outs in the ninth inning of a one-score game.

When Nas said “It was Written,” this is what he meant.

Ohtani won round one, as Trout put it, striking out his buddy to seal the victory and title for Japan. Baseball as a whole also won, all thanks to those two players and that moment.

Curiously enough, the one loser in all of this is the ballclub that employees both Trout and Ohtani. The franchise in Anaheim that can’t figure out how to squeeze some winning of its own out of those two. The Los Angeles Angels, a team that should be absolutely embarrassed after seeing the theater its stars provided for everyone else on Tuesday.

At one point during the broadcast, play-by-play man Joe Davis mentioned how fans were finally getting a glimpse of Trout in a big game. And he was right.

In 12 big-league seasons, Trout has exactly one playoff appearance and three playoff games to his name. We’d literally never seen one of the sport’s all-time great players in a game with stakes that high.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the Angels were wasting his career by not building a good enough team around him, they landed another all-time great player in Ohtani. A player literally changing how the sport is played with his ability to hit and pitch and do both at MVP levels. And all the Angels have done in five seasons with those two players who just created one of the best moments in baseball history is compile a losing record every year.

Their 40-1 title odds for this upcoming MLB season are tied for 14th. They only have the third-best odds to win their own division.

It’s been said before, but it’s especially true now, the Angels should be ashamed. What we witnessed Tuesday – those players in those high-leverage moments – is something they owe to their fanbase. If the Angels can’t figure out how to win with Trout and Ohtani soon, I promise you another team will come with a big bag of money for Ohtani to show them how it’s done.

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This WBC image of Shohei Ohtani pitching vs. Mike Trout would be the coolest movie poster

Ohtani vs. Trout: Coming this March to a theatre near you.

The 2023 World Baseball Classic would always come down to Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, wouldn’t it?

In a matchup baseball fans had only previously dreamed of, Ohtani struck out Trout with two outs and no one on to win the WBC title for his native Japan. It was an epic moment Trout implied was only the beginning between the pair. (By the way: Yes, from any angle, Ohtani is so hard to get a hit against.)

Not that this glorious superstar battle needed any more hype, but a fan on Twitter (Kara Fagan/@karafagan) captured a ridiculously cool still frame of Ohtani vs. Trout. If you didn’t have the context, you’d think it was a movie poster for an incredible WBC final:

Can’t you see it now? A trailer with a deep voice telling us to be prepared for a dramatic baseball battle for the ages.

“Ohtani. Trout. The baseball world better be ready for these two worlds to COLLIDE.”

Okay, yeah. Where do I buy these tickets, and how?

Nets’ Yuta Watanabe perfectly described the love Japanese fans have for Shohei Ohtani

Saying Ohtani is a king in Japan would probably be an understatement.

Shohei Ohtani is the unquestioned king of the baseball world.

What other reasonable conclusion could there be after the mega-star led Japan to the 2023 World Baseball Classic title? He even struck out fellow mega-star and his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to reach the top of the WBC summit!

If anyone deserved $1 billion for being the face of baseball, it’d be Ohtani.

But if you think Ohtani is beyond popular stateside, he’s unquestionably royalty in his native Japan. After Ohtani helped close out the WBC title, the Brooklyn Nets’ Yuta Watanabe summed up how beloved the baseball titan is in Japan.

And honestly: It’s very easy to believe him.

If Ohtani is “like God” in Japan after winning the WBC, what happens when he wins a World Series? Because following some intriguing postgame comments from Trout on Tuesday, it certainly seems like that reality will also be possible very soon.

Mike Trout’s ‘He won Round 1’ quote about Shohei Ohtani had MLB fans pondering free agency

The next WBC isn’t until 2026. What does Trout know?

In the aftermath of an epic World Baseball Classic final, it can be hard to process all the pieces of the aftermath.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Shohei Ohtani, who not only delivered a rousing speech to his Japan teammates but also struck out his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to beat the USA and win the WBC title. The latter happening has MLB fans buzzing about the possibilities of the near future.

After the game, Trout was asked about his climactic matchup with Ohtani on the mound. The superstar kept it concise and seemed to interestingly tease what might be in store for both:

Ohtani won Round 1? Does Trout know the next World Baseball Classic won’t be until 2026? Because that’s … a ways off. No, no, this comment seems to be a lot more about Ohtani’s future, who is set to be a free agent in 2024.

At least, that’s how MLB fans read into Trout’s telling quote.

11 awesome photos of Japan’s dramatic 2023 World Baseball Classic victory

Japan’s World Baseball Classic celebrations were absolutely epic.

What a night for baseball!

On Tuesday, Japan bested the United States 3-2 in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final, stopping Team USA from going back-to-back in the tournament. The game was an exhilarating end to a truly awesome tournament, as while the United States took an early lead, Japan battled back to take lead and eventually the win.

And, of course, the cherry on top was Shohei Ohtani striking out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout in the ninth inning to seal the win for Japan. Talk about a storybook ending to one of the most exciting few weeks of baseball we’ve seen in some time.

As the dust settles on the 2023 World Baseball Classic, here are the best photos from Japan’s incredible championship win.

Hear Japanese broadcasters’ electric call of Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to win WBC

Goosebumps!

In a magical ending to a stellar World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night, two Los Angeles Angeles faced off for the victory: Shohei Ohtani on the mound and Mike Trout at the plate. Just totally perfect.

Following Mookie Betts grounding into a double play in the top of the ninth, Trout stepped up and looked like he was swinging for the fences as Team USA’s one last chance. But Ohtani was on fire against his MLB teammate and struck Trout out as Japan topped the U.S., 3-2, in a thrilling ending to a 2023 tournament that’s become an instant classic.

While baseball fans on Twitter were overjoyed by the storybook ending, surely one of the best reactions to Ohtani’s final pitch and Japan’s victory over Team USA came from these Japanese broadcasters:

Absolutely electric!

Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout for the most storybook ending to the World Baseball Classic

WHAT AN ENDING!

The scriptwriters could not have written this one any better.

With everything on the line during the ninth inning of the 2023 World Baseball Classic final between the United States and Japan, baseball fans got everything they ever could have wanted. At long last, the memes were made real, as Los Angeles Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout faced off against one another in a pivotal moment.

With no one on, two outs, and the United States down 3-2 in the top of the ninth, Ohtani struck out Trout in the most storybook fashion to help Japan win its third World Baseball Classic in history.

That, my friends, is sports drama at its finest.

The matchup between Ohtani and Trout was everything baseball fans could have asked for and more. And to have Ohtani strike out Trout on a full count, no less, was peak sports drama and theater. No contest.

Baseball fans could not have been happier with the way the 2023 World Baseball Classic ended.

Shohei Ohtani told his Japan teammates to ‘stop admiring’ Team USA in a rousing pregame speech

What a speech from Shohei Ohtani.

The World Baseball Classic might not hold the same level of prestige that the World Series does to the general public, but this tournament definitely matters to the players.

We’ve seen how players from all over have reacted to playing in the World Baseball Classic, and Shohei Ohtani is clearly no different. On Tuesday, ahead of Japan’s tilt against the United States in the World Baseball Classic final, Ohtani had a message for his teammates and countrymen.

In a rousing pregame speech to his Japan teammates, Ohtani told his peers to “stop admiring” the United States, because if they want to surpass them, they have to put those feelings away and just win.

Quite an inspiring pep talk! It’s awesome to see the respect and admiration both teams have for one another at the end of an incredible tournament.

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Mexico manager Benji Gil had classiest reaction about ‘everyone winning’ after agonizing loss to Japan

Anyone who loved baseball was a winner Monday night.

After a hard-fought battle in the World Baseball Classic semifinals, Mexico suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Japan.

Even with Randy Arozarena making an incredible play — leading to a hilarious meme — Japan and walk-off hero Munetaka Murakami ended up clinching a spot in Tuesday’s final. (That Japan-USA matchup will now give us the Tungsten Arm O’Doyle Classic.)

As Mexico fans tried to process the loss in the aftermath, manager Benji Gil kept his reflection on the defeat short and sweet. Did he wish his team came out on top? Of course. Who wouldn’t? But the bigger picture was more important.

Such an instant classic battle was great for the game of baseball and everyone who loves it:

What a classy and entirely truthful response. You know Gil especially meant it, given that his team was the one who fell short. It’s been a fantastic World Baseball Classic. Japan and Mexico gave the baseball world another top-notch episode.