Shohei Ohtani's WBC teammates likens epic at-bat against Mike Trout to Japanese manga
Shohei Ohtani was the driving force behind Team Japan's undefeated 7-0 run to victory at the recent World Baseball Classic. The 28-year-old once again proved how dominant he is, both on the mound and in the box.
Ohtani amassed an ERA of just 1.95 over 9.2 innings, striking out 11 opposing players in the process. In the batter's box, the Iwate Prefecture native slashed .435/.606/.739 with one home run and eight RBIs.
Japan breezed through the group stage, handing out crushing losses to their oppositions. After completing a fairytale comeback to beat Team Mexico in the semifinals, they were off to face Ohtani's MLB teammate Mike Trout and Team USA in the final in Miami.
Trout and Shohei Ohtani have played together for the Los Angeles Angels since 2018. Both former Rookie of the Year and MVP Award winners are widely considered to be two of the best baseball players in the world.
The WBC final took place at LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, on March 21. Although the USA took an early 1-0 lead after a home run by new Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, Japan rallied and were ahead by 3-2 when Shohei Ohtani came in to finish the game up in the ninth.
In the top of the ninth, Ohtani got Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers to ground into a double play. With two outs, only Trout stood between Ohtani and the World Baseball Classic title. What ensued was a tense, 5-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout, giving Japan their first WBC title.
“I thought it was manga.”
- Kazuma Okamoto on watching the Ohtani/Trout at-bat https://t.co/JHEgUOnK15
"“I thought it was manga.”" - Kazuma Okamoto on watching the Ohtani/Trout at-bat" - Shawn Spradling
In the aftermath of Team Japan's historic win, Shohei Ohtani's teammate Kazuma Okamoto compared the scene between the Angels teammates to a scene from a manga. Mangas are graphic comments of Japanese origin that often feature stories of hero-like struggles.
Despite tense WBC scene, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani will need to work together this year
Since winning the World Baseball Classic, Ohtani has reached legendary status in his home nation. Unfortunately, fans of the Angels cannot say that they harbor the same enthusiasm.
Despite having the two superstars on their team, Angels fans have not seen playoff baseball in nearly a decade. It's time for these two to get it done as a package if the Angels want to move past their unbecoming title of perrennial chokers.