The big leaguers who led Japan’s recapture of the top in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) commanded the US Major League Baseball (MLB) on the 24th (Korean time).
Japan selected a total of five big leaguers for the 2023 WBC. Leading by Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs), and Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox) responded to the selection of the national team. Following this, Lars Nutba (St. Louis Cardinals), who had a Japanese mother, also participated in the WBC as a member of the Japanese national team.
Japan defeated the United States 3-2 in the final and reached the top of the tournament for the third time in 14 years since 2009.
Ohtani, who was selected as the 토토사이트WBC Most Valuable Player (MVP), played a big role with 2 hits (1 home run), 2 RBIs and 1 run in 3 at-bats as the designated hitter in the home game against the Kansas City Royals held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California on the 24th. did.
The Angels succeeded in turning the game around with three home runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when they were trailing 1-2. Leading batsman Taylor Ward’s solo shot and Mike Trout’s back-to-back home run overturned the score. Ohtani pulled the curve of opponent starter Jordan Lyles as it was and completed three consecutive home runs in the middle. Amid Ohtani’s fifth home run of the season, the Angels won 4-3 and returned to a 50% win rate (11-11). Ohtani’s season batting average rose to 0.266 (21 hits in 79 at-bats).
Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox), who scored the most RBIs in a single WBC tournament, scored 2 hits (2 homers) and 6 RBIs in 4 at-bats as the 4th hitter and left fielder in the Milwaukee Brewers away game on the same day.
Yoshida, who hit a solo home run in the 8th inning with a score of 4-4, hit a home run with the bases in the at-bat after the batting order turned around. He became the first Japanese major league player to record two home runs in one inning. Yoshida, who was struggling with an extreme batting slump at the beginning of his first season after entering the big leagues after signing a five-year contract with Boston for a total of 90 million dollars (120.2 billion won), provided an opportunity to change the mood. His season batting average rose to 0.231, and his slugging percentage rose to 0.400.
Darvish of the San Diego Padres started against the Arizona Diamondbacks that day and recorded his first win of the season in his fourth appearance with 2 hits and 1 run in 5 2/3 innings. On this day, he went down the mound due to thigh pain, but he also threw a fastball at 156 km/h, the fastest this year.
Lars Nuthba, who started as the leadoff for the St. Louis Cardinals, led the team to a 7-3 victory against the Seattle Mariners with 3 hits and 1 RBI, including a home run by the lead batter. Yoshida went 4-for-4 with 1 hit and 1 RBI as the 4th hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.