Ohtani Shines as Japan Beats U.S. to Win World Baseball Classic

Meanwhile, Darvish, a longtime major leaguer who pitches for the San Diego Padres, injected drama into the game. Originally lined up to start the final game until a switch the day before, Darvish entered as a reliever in the eighth inning. But U.S. designated hitter Kyle Schwarber blasted a solo home run into the right-field seats to trim the deficit to one run and re-energize the crowd of 36,098.

A small lead, though, was enough for Japan with Ohtani looming as a closer. Ohtani, the ace of the Angels, made his first relief appearance since 2016, when he played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.

Before the game, Ohtani addressed his teammates and told them to stop admiring the superstars on the other side.

“If you admire them, you can’t surpass them,” he said, according to reports. “We came here to surpass them, to reach the top. For one day, let’s throw away our admiration for them and just think about winning.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/sports/baseball/japan-usa-world-baseball-classic.html