2023 World Baseball Classic championship
{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox baseball game
| year = 2023
| game = World Baseball Classic Championship
| image = LoanDepot Park.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = LoanDepot Park, Miami in 2021
| visitor = United States
| top1 = 0
| top2 = 1
| top3 = 0
| top4 = 0
| top5 = 0
| top6 = 0
| top7 = 0
| top8 = 1
| top9 = 0
| visitor_r = 2
| visitor_h = 9
| visitor_e = 0
| visitor_total = 2
| visitor_association = {{flagdeco|United States|size=40px}}
| home = Japan
| bot1 = 0
| bot2 = 2
| bot3 = 0
| bot4 = 1
| bot5 = 0
| bot6 = 0
| bot7 = 0
| bot8 = 0
| bot9 = X
| home_r = 3
| home_h = 5
| home_e = 0
| home_total = 3
| home_association = {{flagdeco|Japan|size=40px}}
| details =
| date = {{Start date|2023|03|21}}
| venue = LoanDepot Park
| city = Miami, Florida, U.S.
| manager_visitor =
| manager_home =
| umpires =
| attendance = 36,098
| time_of_game = 19:00 EDT
| first_pitch =
| television = Multiple
| tv_announcers =
| radio =
| radio_announcers =
| MVP = Shohei Ohtani
| MVPTeam = {{bb|JPN}}
| previous = 2017
| next = 2026
}}
The 2023 World Baseball Classic championship was the final of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the fifth edition of the World Baseball Classic, a men's international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with World Baseball Classic Inc. (WBCI). The game was played on March 21, 2023, at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, United States,{{cite web |title=World Baseball Classic 2023 venues, pools announced |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/world-baseball-classic-2023-dates-pools-revealed |first=David |last=Adler |website=MLB.com |date=July 7, 2022 |access-date=July 7, 2022}} between hosts and defending champion United States and two-time champion Japan. Japan won 3–2 to earn a record-extending third World Baseball Classic title. Shohei Ohtani won the most valuable player award.
Unlike in 2009, 2013 and 2017, the 2023 U.S. lineup attracted distinguished players, which some commentators claimed contributed to generating excitement for the final. The U.S. general manager Tony Reagins credited Mike Trout, a three-time major league MVP, for committing to the team early (in July 2022) which made it easier to convince others to join.{{cite news|title=Why is the US finally treating the World Baseball Classic like a World Cup?|date=March 6, 2023|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/mar/06/why-is-the-us-finally-treating-the-world-baseball-classic-like-a-world-cup}}
The championship game was one of the most watched games in baseball history with the game attracting an average television viewership of 5.2 million people in the U.S. and a reported 62 million television viewers in Japan representing a total of 42.4% of households in the country despite the game taking place at 8 am JST.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/sports/usa-japan-wbc-title-game-could-be-the-most-watched-baseball-game-in-history/3002635|title=USA-Japan WBC Title Game Could Be the Most-Watched Baseball Game in History
|date=March 21, 2023|accessdate=July 1, 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Maury |title=From Record-Breaking Television, Attendance And Merchandise Sales, 2023 World Baseball Classic Was A Home Run |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2023/03/23/from-record-breaking-television-attendance-and-merchandise-sales-2023-world-baseball-classic-was-a-home-run/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=Forbes |language=en}} The game was widely praised as an instant classic, with the ending duel between team captains and Los Angeles Angels teammates Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani being considered as one of the greatest moments in the history of the sport.{{Cite web |last=Parshy |first=R. Nikhil |date=March 22, 2023 |title="Historically the greatest matchup of all time" "That was some anime script stuff" - Baseball fans thrilled after experiencing epic clash between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in WBC 2023 final |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-baseball-fans-disbelief-shohei-ohtani-vs-mike-trout-classic-showdown-finally-becomes-reality-historically-greatest-matchup-time |access-date=May 1, 2023 |website=www.sportskeeda.com |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |date=March 30, 2023 |title=Hoornstra: Joe Davis reflects on calling ‘one of the great moments in baseball history’ |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2023/03/29/hoornstra-joe-davis-reflects-on-calling-one-of-the-great-moments-in-baseball-history |access-date=May 1, 2023 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}}
Road to the championship
{{Further|2023 World Baseball Classic}}
The United States was the victor of the previous edition of the WBC, in 2017 defeating Japan in the semi-final round.{{cite web |last=Perry |first=Dayn |date=March 11, 2023 |title=2023 World Baseball Classic: 5 things to know about Team USA, from a Mike Trout-led offense to the competition |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2023-world-baseball-classic-5-things-to-know-about-team-usa-from-a-mike-trout-led-offense-to-the-competition/ |accessdate=March 21, 2023 |publisher=CBSSports.com}} Japan won the 2006 and 2009 editions of the WBC.{{Cite web |title=Japan's WBC history: Has Japan ever won a World Baseball Classic championship? |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/japan-wbc-history-world-baseball-classic/t1dmnylw6gxhodaqjm3kdp1k |website=www.sportingnews.com}}
In 2023, Japan won all four games in Pool B, which it hosted at the Tokyo Dome.{{cite web |date= |title=Japan-Australia highlights: Ohtani's HR enough for Japan to win |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/japan-australia-live-updates-undefeated-teams-meet-up-in-pool-b-clash |accessdate=March 21, 2023 |work=FOX Sports}} They then defeated Italy in the quarterfinals.{{cite web |date=March 16, 2023 |title='We see who Shohei is.' How Shohei Ohtani and Japan advanced to WBC semifinals |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2023-03-16/shohei-ohtani-japan-italy-wbc-quarterfinal |website=Los Angeles Times}} Japan defeated Mexico in the semifinals to advance to the championship.{{Cite web |title=Japan walks off into Classic final, and 'the world of baseball won' |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mexico-vs-japan-in-the-world-baseball-classic-2023 |website=MLB.com}}
The United States went 3–1 in Pool C, advancing as the pool's runner-up behind Mexico, who they lost to in an upset 11–5 result.{{cite web |date=March 16, 2023 |title=Trout lifts United States into WBC quarterfinals |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35869723/mike-trout-lifts-united-states-wbc-quarterfinals |website=ESPN.com}}{{cite news |last=Salvador |first=Joseph |date=March 13, 2023 |title=Team USA Reacts to Stunning World Baseball Classic Loss to Mexico |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/03/13/team-usa-reacts-stunning-world-baseball-classic-loss-mexico |work=Sports Illustrated |accessdate=March 26, 2023}} The United States defeated Venezuela in the quarterfinals{{cite web |last1=Felt|first1=Hunter|date=January 31, 2018 |title=USA 9–7 Venezuela: World Baseball Classic quarter-finals—as it happened |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2023/mar/18/united-states-v-venezuela-world-baseball-classic-quarter-finals-live |accessdate=March 21, 2023 |work=The Guardian}} and Cuba in the semifinals.{{cite web |last=Axisa |first=Mike |date=March 19, 2023 |title=Team USA score: U.S. cruises past Cuba to reach World Baseball Classic final as Trea Turner homers twice |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/team-usa-score-us-rolls-past-cuba-to-reach-world-baseball-classic-final-as-trea-turner-homers-twice/live/ |accessdate=March 20, 2023 |publisher=CBSSports.com}}
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| class="wikitable collapsible" style="text-align:center" |
| colspan="2"|{{bb|USA}}
!Round !colspan="2"|{{bb|JPN}} |
|---|
| style="background:#C1E0FF"
|Opponent |Result |Opponent |Result |
| style="text-align:left"|{{bb|GBR}}
|6–2 (H) |style="background:#C1E0FF"|Match 1 |style="text-align:left"|{{bb|CHN}} |8–1 (H) |
| style="text-align:left"|{{bb|MEX}}
|5–11 (H) |style="background:#C1E0FF"|Match 2 |style="text-align:left"|{{bb|KOR}} |13–4 (H) |
| style="text-align:left"|{{bb|CAN}}
|2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C#Canada vs United States (H) |style="background:#C1E0FF"|Match 3 |style="text-align:left"|{{bb|CZE}} |10–2 (H) |
| style="text-align:left"|{{bb|COL}}
|3–2 (A) |style="background:#C1E0FF"|Match 4 |style="text-align:left"|{{bb|AUS}} |7–1 (A) |
| colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top"|Pool C runners-up
{{#lst:2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C|C1}}
|style="background:#C1E0FF"|Final standings |colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top"|Pool B winners {{#lst:2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B|B1}} |
| style="background:#C1E0FF"
|Opponent |Result |Opponent |Result |
| style="text-align:left"|{{bb|VEN}}
|9–7 (A) |style="background:#C1E0FF"|Quarterfinals |style="text-align:left"|{{bb|ITA}} |9–3 (H) |
| style="text-align:left"|{{bb|CUB}}
|14–2 (H) |style="background:#C1E0FF"|Semifinals |style="text-align:left"|{{bb|MEX}} |6–5 (H) |
Game
=Summary=
The starting pitchers for the championship game were Shōta Imanaga for Japan and Merrill Kelly for the United States.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/japan-starting-imanaga-over-ohtani-or-darvish-in-wbc-final-vs-united-states/ |title=Japan starting Imanaga over Ohtani or Darvish in WBC final vs. United States |publisher=Sportsnet.ca |date=March 16, 2023 |accessdate=March 21, 2023}} Trea Turner hit a solo home run for the United States off of Imanaga in the top of the second inning. Turner tied Lee Seung-yuop (South Korea) in the 2006 tournament for the most home-runs in a single WBC tournament. Munetaka Murakami tied the game with a solo home run off of Kelly in the bottom of the second inning. Japan continued the inning by loading the bases with singles from Kazuma Okamoto and Sosuke Genda and a walk to Yuhei Nakamura. After Aaron Loup relieved Kelly for the United States, Lars Nootbaar hit a RBI ground out. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Kazuma Okamoto hit a solo home run for Japan off of Kyle Freeland to give Japan its final run.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2023/mar/21/usa-v-japan-world-baseball-classic-final-live|title=USA v Japan: World Baseball Classic final – live|first=Hunter|last=Felt|work=The Guardian|date=March 21, 2023|accessdate=March 21, 2023}}
Both teams then remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning, when Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run for the United States off of Yu Darvish. Leading 3–2 in the ninth inning, Japan used their designated hitter, Shohei Ohtani, to record the save.
During the final at-bat, in a moment often described as storybook-like, Ohtani struck out Mike Trout, fellow renowned teammate of the Los Angeles Angels, to win the tournament for Japan. Ohtani threw a 87.2 mph slider on a full count to secure the victory, the previous two strikes being down-the-middle swung-on 100 mph fastballs.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-strikes-out-mike-trout-world-baseball-classic|title=Shohei vs. Trout for the Classic title? A strikeout heard 'round the world|date=March 21, 2023|accessdate=July 1, 2023}}
Ohtani won the WBC's most valuable player award after batting .435 with a 1.86 earned run average pitching.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/world-baseball-classic-shohei-ohtani-awarded-wbc-mvp-after-closing-out-championship-in-japans-win-over-usa/|title= World Baseball Classic: Shohei Ohtani awarded WBC MVP after closing out championship in Japan's win over USA|first=Mike |last=Axisa|work=CBS Sports|date=March 21, 2023|accessdate=March 21, 2023}} Following the final, Takuya Mitsuda, the author and illustrator of the Major baseball manga that was adapted into an anime series, created a commemorative illustration featuring Ohtani alongside Major protagonist Goro Honda (Shigeno) that was published in Sports Nippon.{{cite web|last=Morissy|first=Kim|title=Major Manga Creator Draws Illustration to Celebrate Japan's WBC Win|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2023-03-27/major-manga-creator-draws-illustration-to-celebrate-japan-wbc-win/.196451|website=Anime News Network|access-date=December 24, 2023|date=March 27, 2023|archive-date=October 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224719/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2023-03-27/major-manga-creator-draws-illustration-to-celebrate-japan-wbc-win/.196451|url-status=live}} Major fans had compared Ohtani's duel with Trout to Goro's duel with Joe Gibson Jr. in one scene.
=Details=
;Linescore
File:Shohei Ohtani (52252068139) (cropped).jpg, the most valuable player of the tournament]]
{{linescore
| Date = March 21, 2023
| Location = LoanDepot Park in Miami, United States
| Other =
| Road = {{bb|USA}} | RoadAbr = USA
| R1 = 0 | R2 = 1 | R3 = 0 | R4 = 0 | R5 = 0 | R6 = 0 | R7 = 0 | R8 = 1 | R9 = 0 | RR = 2 | RH = 9 | RE = 0
| Home = {{bb|Japan}} | HomeAbr = JPN
| H1 = 0 | H2 = 2 | H3 = 0 | H4 = 1 | H5 = 0 | H6 = 0 | H7 = 0 | H8 = 0 | H9 = X | HR = 3 | HH = 5 | HE =0
| WP = Shōta Imanaga (1–0) | LP = Merrill Kelly (0–1) | SV = Shohei Ohtani (1)
| HomeHR = Munetaka Murakami (1), Kazuma Okamoto (2) | RoadHR = Trea Turner (5), Kyle Schwarber (2)
| Attendance = 36,098
| Umpires = HP – Lance Barksdale, 1B – John Tumpane, 2B – Edward Pinales, 3B – Ramiro Alfaro, LF – Jong Chui Park, RF – Quinn Wolcott
| Notes =
| BoxURL = https://www.mlb.com/gameday/united-states-vs-japan/2023/03/21/719497/final/box
}}
;Boxscore
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||
| colspan=10 style="background: #002868; color: #FFFFFF;|{{flagdeco|USA}} United States - Batting{{cite web |title=United States 2, Japan 3 Final Score (03/21/2023) on MLB Gameday |url=https://www.mlb.com/gameday/united-states-vs-japan/2023/03/21/719497/final/box |publisher=MLB |access-date=March 22, 2023}} | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|Player
!style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|Baseball positions !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|AB|At bats}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|R|Runs}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|H|Hits}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|RBI|Runs batted in}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|BB|Base on balls (Walks}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|SO|Strike-outs}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|LOB|Left on-base}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|BA|Batting average}} | |||||||||
| Mookie Betts | RF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .313 |
| Mike Trout | CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .296 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .280 |
| Nolan Arenado | 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .385 |
| Kyle Schwarber | DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .214 |
| Trea Turner | SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .214 |
| J. T. Realmuto | C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
| Cedric Mullins | LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .200 |
| Tim Anderson | 2B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Jeff McNeil | 2B (PH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .111 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||
| colspan=10 style="background: #002868; color: #FFFFFF;|{{flagdeco|USA}} United States - Pitching | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|Player
!style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|IP|Innings pitched}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|H|Hits}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|R|Runs}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|ER|Earned runs}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|BB|Base on balls (Walks)}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|SO|Strike-outs}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|HR|Home runs}} !style="background-color: #BF0A30; color: #FFFFFF;|{{tooltip|ERA|Earned run average}} | ||||||||
| Merrill Kelly | 1{{fraction|1|3}} | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8.31 |
| Aaron Loup | {{fraction|2|3}} | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kyle Freeland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Jason Adam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| David Bednar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 |
| Devin Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
{{Col-break}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||
| colspan=10 style="background: #000000; color: #FFFFFF;|{{flagdeco|Japan}} Japan - Batting | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|Player
!style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|Baseball positions !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|AB|At bats}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|R|Runs}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|H|Hits}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|RBI|Runs batted in}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|BB|Base on balls (Walks}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|SO|Strike-outs}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|LOB|Left on-base}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|BA|Batting average}} | |||||||||
| Lars Nootbaar | CF–LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .269 |
| Kensuke Kondo | RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .346 |
| Shohei Ohtani | DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .435 |
| Masataka Yoshida | LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .409 |
| Taisei Makihara | CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| Munetaka Murakami | 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .231 |
| Kazuma Okamoto | 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| Tetsuto Yamada | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .267 |
| Sōsuke Genda | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| Yuhei Nakamura | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .429 |
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||
| colspan=10 style="background: #000000; color: #FFFFFF;|{{flagdeco|Japan}} Japan - Pitching | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|Player
!style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|IP|Innings pitched}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|H|Hits}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|R|Runs}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|ER|Earned runs}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|BB|Base on balls (Walks)}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|SO|Strike-outs}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|HR|Home runs}} !style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #000000;|{{tooltip|ERA|Earned run average}} | ||||||||
| Shōta Imanaga | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Shosei Togo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.80 |
| Hiroto Takahashi | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Hiromi Itoh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Taisei Ota | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Yu Darvish | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6.00 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.86 |
{{col-end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/ Official website]
- [http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/stats/ Results, Rosters & Stats]
{{2023 World Baseball Classic}}
{{World Baseball Classic}}
World Baseball Classic championship
World Baseball Classic championship
Category:Baseball competitions in Miami
Category:International baseball competitions hosted by the United States