United States vs. Japan Game Highlights | 2023 World Baseball Classic Final

The two biggest stars in the world are going to lead their teams on the field Mike Trout and Team USA Shohei Otani and Team Japan. What a showcase for the game We have here tonight with a title on the line Welcome to the World Baseball Classic from Lone Depot Park in Miami, Florida and our championship game It's the United States against Japan. Oh, I've been waiting for this play ball So here we go and Japan's manager very confident of this young man Shota Imanaga four innings on two games three hits one on run Look, this is a guy who's going to feature a pretty good fastball good writing four-seam fastball But his biggest pitch is that split can he throw it enough times to get the hitters off the fastball? You know, one of the many treasures on this night is Mike Trout in a championship game That one is hit to shallow right field America's captain. Oh my goodness pressure at all times Nobody destroyed left-handers like Paul Goldschmidt did last year. Got it. There was a good split. That's a guy that's Understanding. Hey, I'm going to rush him up and in and I'm gonna slow him down with the split change right there Imanaga, he's 29 years old. He's been around a while not out of the woods yet Nolan Arnauto first pitch swing and a ground ball the first pick by Okamoto Merrill Kelly what an opportunity for the veteran right-hander the once-in-a-lifetime Shohei Ohtani who's continued to do the unthinkable in this classic Ohtani takes ball four It's close But a two-out walk to gone in this first inning and he kept alive for Masatake Yoshida Tag That's a good start for Merrill Kelly. Here we go Trey Turner has been awesome the last two games had the home run the team USA will never forget in the come-from-behind win against Venezuela and then two home runs against Cuba in the semis For Trey Turner you think he's feeling it to walk to out Lukey Betts swings at that pinch and hits a fly ball to left Yoshida will make the catch short of the warning track And Mookie might have just missed one five six and seven comes up for Japan with Munetaka Murakami last night's hero to lead off Now it's one swing that the drive to left center to win it sees another fastball tonight Tie ballgame. Merrill surprised the big games and big swings the two-time MVP has come up huge for Japan You want to answer back? There it is right there and Japan has the bases loaded to the top of the order these next five hitters Not only are they the best hitters Japan has but they are all left-handed and he's got the lefty loop ready to go You know a new bar last year in 2022 he hit left handers better than right handers at a 273 mark New bar breaks his back slow roller to first base Goldschmidt's only play is the first and Luke just got there to get the out On the play Okamoto comes in to score. So Japan takes its first lead two to one That's the downside on loop is he gets soft contact in a situation when you need double plays Now a chance for more with Ken skate condo the one two That one is popped up in the center field Mike Trout is there For out number three and all things considered Aaron Luke did a really good job back-to-back two out walks and the guy who has Dominated play here in Miami is coming to the plate. Not this time Splitter strikes him out. So Togo walks to but gets through Turner So the new pitcher Kyle Freeland immediately has to face Oh Tommy That was a good slider right there on Freeland going to work quickly on Shohei Ohtani So after Freeland struck out Oh Tommy he gives up the fourth pitch walk with what a Taka Murakami coming to the plate and First pitch swing could be to Anderson to second one Turner to first Got a double play nicely turned by Team USA and their defense Kyle Freeland third pitcher for Team USA faces Kazuma Okamoto to open the fourth Left center field a deep Mullins at the wall No surprise past five seasons 30-plus home runs. We know the power is there 164 home runs in that span. He got a good pitch to hit right there Top of the order for the United States Spence is over to today gonna be a tough play the throw the intentional bounce and Perfect to first base team USA is going to challenge. It was bang bang boy. Mookie really smelled that hit Wow Oh, yeah, I think he's safe. I think he's safe Just barely so they overturned the call with replay and Mookie Betts just terrific hustle and speed It is Kyle Schwerber the National League homerun champion two on two out. He represents the go-ahead run in the WBC championship Schwerber swings 3-0 and it's a fly ball center field Took a chance there and just missed it So that's a one-out walk with Ohtani coming up and Japan's got a lot of great hitters We've seen him in this tournament, but you just have a hard time thinking you're gonna let this guy beat you in a championship game Ohtani got jammed hits the ground ball Anderson there to make the play and throw out Ohtani and you got to give a lot of credit to Freeland right there with JT Ramon to wanting the slider and Freeland saying no, I trust my fastball I trust my ride my sink on it and I'm gonna jam show hey right here to hopefully get a double play He jammed him now. He's got to get through Yoshida, here's the two to Yoshida topper right back to the mound Cal Freeland has it and he throws him out mean it perfection for mr Freeland so with two outs and nobody on Jason Adam has walked the bases loaded Team USA's bullpen this whole time has been quiet This game has got to stay 3-1 if USA is gonna have a chance Lars new car Oh for three, but with a run batted in bases loaded two down new bar fly ball, right? Betts is there But somehow some way Jason Adam got through it Japan leaves the bases loaded So the leadoff walk from Jeff McNeil and it's Mookie Betts who had an infield single in the fifth Team USA has two on nobody out These are the innings where you win them and lose them and you have the best hitter in the planet Mike trout Trout Leads forward to make the catch that one almost fooled him Maybe the lights maybe the spin on the ball a huge first out to get through trout all Goldschmidt comes up here He's 0 4 3 2 on now one out is on the ground is short Flips the second one throw the first got in double play Two on nobody out and he gets through trout and Goldschmidt. That's it. There's just truly no Comparison there's no player like Shohei Ohtani In the game. Ohtani hits it hard and a diving staff From his days to throw not in time Ohtani big strong And he's too fast. They're gonna challenge. That's as close as it gets That's just too close that is as close as it could possibly be I think he was safe I think he's safe to even without the microphone the call Safe the place stands and now one out baserunner for Masataka Yoshida. That one is hit on the ground He'll flip to Turner the throw the first in plenty of time double play So the hit for Ohtani, but Ben Dar gets the ground ball will go to the eighth Well, they have pieced it together to get it to this point We're finally the familiar name comes in you Darvish for the eighth inning now Schwerber who comes up now He doesn't have as many at-bats against Darvish, but those that he's had great success We'll make the same point we did in the six now you're a base hit away from an Enormous extra run on the ground the third So here we go The dream scenario the dream matchup and within that dream matchup the dream Scenario Shohei Ohtani on for the ninth inning nine one and two coming up for the United States in a one-run game That's Jeff McNeil Mookie Betts Mike trout my pitch in the right call Mookie Betts and then trout one run game ninth inning Move the ground a second. We'll see if they can turn to that's one. That's two. It's a double plan is one We said it's at the beginning of the start of this game Japan will do everything right to win a ballgame and they're one out of way with their leader their captain USA's captain versus Japan's captain first time they've ever faced each other They've been teammates for five years the best against the best. Oh Tommy to trout Ball one we've waited a long time to say that speechless how much to say but enjoy Tony's 1-0 Miles an hour is this fun or what Japan hoping to celebrate USA looking for heroics trout takes It's a hundred miles an hour cutting now that pitch just cut that's a ball great take here's the pitch trout swings and misses Challenge I wouldn't want it any other way my best stuff against your best swing to to to Mike trout Here's the pitch and the dirt at 102 Baseball wins tonight matchup. We've all been wanting to see three and two from Otani. He throws trout strikes Otani and Japan celebrate a World Baseball Classic championship and on this night the great showing Otani and Japan just a little bit better than Mike Trout and USA what? to an all-time tournament To see what we came to see and show a Otani got it done incredible mission accomplished for Japan