A classic it was. The World Baseball Classic came to a close last night in thrilling fashion. Japan edged out Team USA by a final score of 3-2. To commemorate the series, we’ve compiled this “World Baseball Classic Championship in 10 photos” gallery.
It came down to the arguably the two best players in the game facing off in the final out. Japan’s Shohei Ohtani struck out USA’s Mike Trout in the top of the 9th inning to secure the title. Ohtani and Trout are teammates with the Anaheim Angels.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic championship was held at LoanDepot Park in Miami, FL (the home of the Miami Marlins). Twenty countries were represented in the form of professional baseball. A tournament-style competition held over three weeks brought us to just Japan and USA still standing Tuesday evening.
Since its founding in 2006, there have been five tournaments held. Japan now has three titles with team USA being the most recent winner (2017) prior to last night.
Team USA took a 1-0 lead last night, with Trae Turner’s solo home run in the second inning. Japan responded with three runs by the end of the fourth. Kyle Schwarber made it close in the eighth with another solo smash. Ultimately, it was not enough with Ohtani on the mound for Japan to close out the game.
The 2023 WBC was a great success. In conclusion, 47 total games were played. Almost 27,000 fans attended each game on average. This year’s rendition made up for the disappointment of the 2020 tournament being canceled due to COVID. As a lead in to the 2023 MLB season, we saw the greatest players in baseball compete in exciting fashion.
Here is a look back at the World Baseball Classic Championship game in 10 photos.
