There are many professional baseball leagues, most notably Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. However, up until 2006 players from different leagues never had the opportunity to play against each other on the international stage. In order to change that and improve the sport’s international appeal, MLB, Korea Baseball Organization, and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), among other leagues and players unions, created the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The WBC is truly an international tournament in that it features 20 teams with early rounds held on different continents. Japan defeated Cuba 10-6 in the final of the inaugural tournament in 2006 to become the first-ever WBC champions. Japan defended its title in 2009, while the Dominican Republic and United States won in 2013 and 2017, respectively. Japan won its third WBC in 2023.
Below is a look at the only four players to win the WBC MVP.
1. Daisuke Matsuzaka (2006 and 2009)
Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka won the MVP in the 2006 and 2009 WBCs and is the only two-time MVP winner in tournament history. Matsuzaka had already established himself as one of the greatest pitchers in NPB history by 2006 but further cemented his legacy in the WBC, where he posted a 3-0 win-loss record to go along with a 1.38 ERA. He led all pitchers in wins and finished tied for third in strikeouts (10).
Matsuzaka signed with MLB’s Boston Red Sox in 2007 and had a decent two-year stretch in the US before pitching again for Japan in the 2009 WBC. He again led the tournament with three victories and allowed just two runs in an important semifinal win over the US, which earned him a second consecutive WBC MVP.
“It’s not something that everybody can experience, and it’s not something that everybody can earn,” he said of the distinction. “So I feel that I’m very lucky. I’m really thankful about the MVP. I didn’t think that it was going to be me at all. I felt that I was lucky, and I felt that it couldn’t be compared to Mr. [Hisashi] Iwakuma, who pitched [in the final].”
2. Robinson Cano (2013)
Born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Robinson Cano was an eight-year MLB veteran who had finished in the top-five of American League (AL) MVP voting twice before helping his native country win its first WBC title in 2013. A member of the New York Yankees at the time, Cano was the standout star for the dominant Dominican team, which was the first country to finish the WBC with a perfect record. Cano was the overall WBC MVP and won the Pool 2 MVP and Pool C MVP.
Through eight games in the tournament, Cano had a WBC record-breaking 15 hits and a .469 batting average to go along with two home runs and four doubles. He didn’t record a hit in the Dominican Republic’s finals victory over Puerto Rico, in part because Puerto Rican manager Edwin Rodriguez chose to intentionally walk him in the first inning with a runner on third base and Edwin Encarnacion on deck.
Cano last played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves in 2022. The eight-time all-star hit 335 home runs, drove in 1,306 runs, and had a .301 batting average through 2,267 career regular season games in 17 seasons.
3. Marcus Stroman (2017)
The US won its first WBC in 2017 and pitcher Marcus Stroman was a big reason for the team’s success. Stroman, then pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays in MLB, got off to a slow start in the tournament, allowing four runs in just 4.2 innings pitched in a Pool F game against Puerto Rico. He followed that up with 4.2 scoreless innings against the Dominican Republic and six no-hit innings in the final against Puerto Rico before giving up a double and being pulled in favor of reliever Sam Dyson. Stroman finished the 2017 WBC with a 2.35 ERA and nine strikeouts.
Stroman pitched again in the 2023 WBC, but this time for Puerto Rico. Although he was born in New York, he was eligible to play for Puerto Rico because his mother was born on the island. Now in his ninth season in MLB, Stroman has pitched for the Blue Jays, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs.
4. Shohei Ohtani (2023)
Japanese pitcher and slugger Shohei Ohtani affirmed his status as the best player in baseball at the 2023 WBC. The 28-year-old player won the AL MVP in 2021 and was the runner-up for the award in 2022. He also finished fourth in voting for the Cy Young, an award given to the league’s best pitcher, in 2022. He was equally effective at the plate and on the mound in the 2023 WBC.
Ohtani hit .435 with one home run, 10 walks, and eight RBIs. He pitched 9.2 innings and posted a 2-0 record to go along with a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts. He struck out his Los Angeles Angels teammate and three-time AL MVP Mike Trout to secure Japan’s victory over the US in the final.