It was always going to be difficult for the World Baseball Classic final to top the cinema from 2023, when it all came down to Mike Trout, one of the best American baseball players, at the plate and his then-Angels teammate Shohei Ohtani, the greatest baseball player in the world, on the mound for Japan.
The six-pitch battle. The final swinging strike that secured Japan’s 3-2 victory and prompted the celebration. Baseball’s growth on the international stage culminating in one pressure-packed championship moment with so much at stake.
Trout’s status as one of the best faded as his injury-filled seasons bled together. He wasn’t even on Team USA this time. Ohtani — now a Dodgers superstar, coming off back-to-back World Series titles — and Japan were eliminated by Venezuela in the quarterfinals.
Mason Miller or Garrett Whitlock or someone else in the American bullpen shutting down Ronald Acuña Jr. — or Daniel Palencia striking out Roman Anthony, which is how Venezuela’s stunning 3-2 win in Tuesday night’s final actually ended — didn’t exactly have the same ring to it.
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