Japan won the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for a third time on March 23 with a 3-2 finals victory over the United States. Japan won the inaugural WBC in 2006 and defended its title in 2009. The Dominican Republic won the tournament in 2013 and the US won in 2017. Japan, which finished third in 2013 and 2017, has won a medal in each of the five WBCs.
Japan was a perfect 4-0 in the group stage, while the US earned a spot in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 record in the group stage. Japan scored 9-3 and 6-5 wins over first Italy and then Mexico to reach the final, while the US beat Venezuela 9-7 and Cuba 14-2. The final came down to the last pitch, with Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani striking out American Mike Trout in a six-pitch at-bat with multiple pitches exceeding 100 miles per hour. Ohtani and Trout are not just teammates with Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; they are considered two of the best players in the world.
“It would have been cheesy if it were [a] movie, but it was amazing because it was real life,” CBS sports commentator Mike Axisa said of the storybook ending to the 2023 WBC.
Below is a closer look at the performances of Ohtani and five other standout players at the 2023 WBC.
1. Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani, known as baseball’s “unicorn” for his rare and impressive talents, is an equally talented pitcher and hitter. The 28-year-old Japanese superstar was the AL MVP in 2021 and finished second in MVP voting in 2022. Last season, he was the first MLB player in 119 seasons to qualify among the league leaders in both the pitching and hitting categories. He was also the first player to win 10 games as a pitcher and hit at least 30 home runs.
Ohtani continued his stellar play at the WBC. He started two games on the mound and allowed just five hits and two earned runs, while striking out 11 batters, through 9.2 innings pitched. Only two pitchers—Miguel Romero (Cuba) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan)—had more strikeouts than Ohtani in the WBC. Ohtani also went 10-for-23 at the plate and finished tied for fourth among all batters with eight RBI. He also had one home run and a .435 batting average.
2. Trea Turner
Trea Turner, an American shortstop in his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies, led all players in the WBC with five home runs. Turner also had 11 RBI and a .391 batting average. Batting ninth for the US, Turner had two home runs in the group stage and hit a pair of home runs during the 14-2 semifinal rout with the US over Cuba. He already set the Team USA record for most home runs in a WBC during the Cuba game and hit another home run, his fifth, in the final against Japan.
A first-round pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, Turner is a two-time All-Star. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals before signing with the Phillies before the 2023 season. He won the Silver Slugger award in 2022 after finishing the season with 21 home runs, a career-best 100 RBI, and a .298 batting average.
3. Masataka Yoshida
Ohtani wasn’t the only standout Japanese player in the WBC. His teammate Masataka Yoshida, a 29-year-old outfielder, was nine-for-22 for a .409 batting average with two home runs and a tournament-leading 13 RBI. Yoshida was hitless in Japan’s 3-2 final victory over Team USA, but he played an integral role in its 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. With Mexico leading 3-0 in the seventh inning, Yoshida hit a 366-foot, three-run home run to tie the game. Japan won in the ninth inning with a two-run double by Munetaka Murakami.
Yoshida, who signed with the Boston Red Sox for the 2023 season, spent the last seven seasons playing in the Japan Pacific League. He had 135 home runs, 474 RBI, and a .326 batting average through 781 career regular season games.
4. Randy Arozarena
Outfielder Randy Arozarena led Mexico’s offense with eight hits in 20 at-bats. He had one home run and finished third among all players with nine RBI. Arozarena won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Rays and finished the 2022 season with 20 home runs and a career-best 89 RBI.
5. Tyler O’Neill
Canada failed to qualify for the quarterfinals but it was no fault of outfielder Tyler O’Neill. The two-time Gold Glove winner led all players with at least 10 at-bats in batting average (.615). He had eight hits, including two doubles, in 13 at-bats with four RBI and five walks.
6. Lance Lynn
American pitcher Lance Lynn allowed just six hits and three earned runs through nine innings pitched in two starts. He also had eight strikeouts and allowed just one walk for an impressive 0.78 WHIP.