The 2023 World Baseball Classic concludes on Tuesday after an action-packed schedule with the championship game of the tournament when Team USA takes on Japan at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
The USA secured their ticket to the championship on Sunday after beating Cuba 14-2 Japan further up the field after a dramatic 6-5 win over Mexico on Monday.
Tonight’s championship game will air at 7pm ET on FS1 and is available to stream on the FOX Sports app.
Here are the top games!
USA vs Japan
trout crowd
Mike Trout scored the first hit of the game – converting a bloop hit into a double in the top of the first inning.
Goalless by one
Merrill Kelly had a nearly flawless first inning, allowing Shohei Ohtani just one walk before defeating Masataka Yoshida to end the first inning.
Trea does it again!
Trea Turner can’t stop hitting home runs. After hitting a big homer in each of USA’s previous two games, he continued his magic in the title game, hitting a homer in his first at-bat to give USA a 1-0 lead.
Japan makes up for it!
It was Japan’s turn and hit a home run at the end of the second. Munetaka Murakami crushed one to right field to make it a 1-1 ball game.
Japan takes the lead
After Aaron Loup replaced Kelly, Japan took the lead as Lars Nootbaar met a fielder choice to tap in a run.
FOREPLAY
Who will win?
Fox Sports’ Ben Verlander, who has been following the tournament from the ground floor in Miami for the past two weeks, explains the keys to victory for each team.
Prepare the stage
Support from fellow players
With Merrill Kelly competing for the USA, Zac Gallen is confident his Diamondbacks teammate can make himself a part of American history.
And support from other American teams
A number of stars from the USA women’s national team also gave their support before the first pitch.
A showdown for eternity
Angels teammates Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani will meet for the first time in Tuesday’s finals. With a championship at stake, both players had a moment to catch up before the game.
Will Ohtani serve?
The Angels have given Ohtani permission to play an innings in Tuesday’s finals, setting the stage for a possible fight between Ohtani and Trout.
This is how the US line-up looks like
Team USA will field another star-studded lineup for the title game, with Mookie Betts leading and Trea Turner moving up to sixth after hitting big homers in each of the last two games.
How big is the moment
Trout didn’t deny that this is the biggest game of his baseball career.
Here come the teams!
Trout and Ohtani led their respective nations up the Diamonds before the championship slope.
Stay tuned for updates!
Continue reading: