With the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) coming to an end with Japan’s victory, an all-star team including ‘MVP’ Shohei Ohtani (29) was unveiled.
The World Baseball Classic Organizing Committee (WBCI) announced the selection of all-star players by position along with the MVP through official SNS after the final match between the US and Japan on the 22nd (Korean time).
As expected, the MVP was Ohtani.
The WBCI selected Ohtani as the MVP of the tournament. Ohtani, a star who could only be seen in comics, scored 0.435 (10 hits in 23 bats), 1 home run, 8 RBIs and 9 runs in 7 games as a hitter, and tied for first place in the most hits and runs scored in the tournament. As a pitcher메이저놀이터
Ohtani played in 7 games as a hitter in this tournament, recording a batting average of 0.435, 1 home run, 8 RBIs, 9 runs, 1 stolen base, 0.606 slugging percentage, 0.739 OPS and 1.345. As a pitcher, he posted an earned run average of 1.86 with 2 wins, 1 save, and 11 strikeouts in 3 games (2 starts).
The highlight was a head-to-head confrontation with Mike Trout after two outs in the top of the ninth inning of the final match.
On the full count, Ohtani threw a slider that slightly bent and flowed outward from the home plate, prompting Trout to strike out on a swing. Japan lifted the championship trophy with a 3-2 victory thanks to Ohtani’s performance, which was perfect for inducing an empty bat.
Ohtani, who was selected as the MVP after winning the championship cup for the team in the first WBC, took two positions (pitcher and designated hitter) in the All-Star team. It is the moment when a picture that can only be seen in cartoons is unfolded on the best stage.
In the pitching category other than Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval (Mexico), who pitched well against Japan in the quarterfinals, and Miguel Romero (Cuba), a bullpen pitcher, were selected as All-Stars.
As for the Japanese player, Masataka Yoshida was selected as an outfield All-Star. Yoshida signed a contract (5 years, 90 million dollars) with the Boston Red Sox for the posting system ahead of this season. In this tournament, he set a new tournament record by posting a whopping 13 RBIs.
On the other hand, the Korean baseball team, which was eliminated in the first round due to the defeat against Australia and Japan, failed to produce an All-Star as expected.