Japan Beats Team USA for WBC Championship

Japan sits on top of the baseball world.

Again.

A captivating World Baseball Classic ended with Japan claiming the championship Tuesday night in Miami. The 3-2 victory before a sellout LoanDepot Park crowd capped the two-week international event filled with drama, heartache and spectacular play.

The finals, pitting the two most successful countries in the WBC’s short history, was headlined by Los Angeles Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout taking opposite sides.

They were a huge part of the story, but hardly the only chapters.

Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto had home runs for Japan. Former Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish gave up a solo homer to Kyle Schwarber in the eighth, cutting the lead to one.

That’s all the cushion Ohtani needed. The two-way former MVP overcame a leadoff walk in the ninth by inducing double-play grounder from Mookie Betts.

And it cap it off rather poetically, Ohtani sealed the championship for Japan by striking out Trout.

Japan won its third WBC title, having won the first two tournaments in 2006 and ’09.

The WBC had its share of controversy, most notably stemming from the season-ending injury to New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz. Some questioned the value of a tournament that takes place during MLB Spring Training and what it could mean for teams during the regular season.

The emotion with each win, especially in the last few rounds, showed this was hardly an exhibition.

“I get it from the outside. The parent clubs want to get these guys back to their club getting ready for a season and getting them healthy,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said. “I just know that when you’re in the fight, it’s hard not to be a 100 percent all in on this.

“And then I think the pageantry and some of the games we played in, I will say this until I die, that Trea Turner homer against Venezuela will be one of the greatest baseball memories for I think everyone in that room. I just think it brought the team together.”

Japan national team manager Hideki Kuriyama believes the WBC can help grow what is already a popular sport back home even more and inspire future generations of players.

“For the Japanese baseball world and the Japanese team playing in the United States, it’s something I think that we’re hoping the Japanese young people will think, yes, I definitely want to play in this environment,” Kuriyama said. “So I just wanted to create the environment where all the young people will be attracted to play in the U.S. in the WBC.”

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