MIAMI (SNN-TV) – Japan beat the United States 3-2 last night in the championship game of this year’s World Baseball Classic, capturing the country’s third title in five editions of the tournament.
The victory before a sellout LoanDepot Park crowd capped the two-week international event filled with drama, heartache and spectacular play.
Shohei Ohtani struck out his Angels teammate Mike Trout to close out the game and was named MVP of the WBC after hitting .435 with two wins and a save as a pitcher. Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto had home runs for Japan.
The Americans were the defending champions, having won the last WBC in 2017, their first title. The next edition of the tournament will be held in 2026.