Japan Wins Third World Baseball Classic Title, Defeating Team USA 3-2 in Championship Game

Team Japan won the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night, defeating Team USA 3-2 in the championship game at loanDepot Park in Miami. The game ended in dramatic fashion with Japan’s Shohei Ohtani striking out his MLB teammate Mike Trout with a full-count slider to seal Japan’s third title.

Trea Turner put the U.S. ahead in the second with his record-tying fifth home run of the tournament and Kyle Schwarber pulled the Americans within a run when he went deep in the eighth off Yu Darvish. But in the bottom half of the inning, Munetaka Murakami, a two-time MVP in Japan, led off with a home run off Team USA starter Merrill Kelly to tie the score at 1-1.

Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP was 2-0 with a save and a 1.86 ERA on the mound, striking out 11 in 9 2/3 innings. He also batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks.

Japan went 7-0 and outscored opponents 56-18, reaching the final for the first time since winning the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009. Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball’s premier national team tournament.

Team USA put up a good fight, but ultimately fell short of the championship title. Japan’s victory marks the third time they have won the World Baseball Classic, and the first since 2009.