Team USA and Japan, which boasts two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, face off in Tuesday night’s final.
MIAMI, Florida (KTRK) — The 2023 World Baseball Classic and its relevancy, especially in the wake of injuries to stars like Jose Altuve and Edwin Diaz, are being hotly debated as the World Cup-style tournament winds down.
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But beyond whether the multi-continental event puts athletes at risk of injury in seemingly meaningless games, one country is about to come out of the tourney as baseball’s best for the next three years.
The United States and Japan face off in Tuesday night’s WBC final in Miami, closing what was essentially a two-week, MLB season tune-up that actually counts in the record books.
Team USA is the defending champions from the last tournament in 2017 and could win it again, weathering a longer wait between tourneys due to the pandemic and an expanded field from 16 to 20 countries.
Opposite the Americans is Team Japan, who won the first two tournaments and came close to making the finals in the last two. Japan returns to the single-game championship with a superstar in the dugout: two-way phenom and Los Angeles Angels star, Shohei Ohtani, who might not compete in the final.
Two Astros in line for more gold
Two American teammates, in particular, could add additional hardware to the World Series championship trophy they earned with the Houston Astros just five months ago.
Outfielder Kyle Tucker and closing pitcher Ryan Pressly might join a rare club of major leaguers who won the World Series and the WBC within a space of a few months.
But no matter what happens after Tuesday night, the Astros teammates can look forward to receiving their 2022 world championship rings in nine days when Houston holds opening night festivities.
SEE ALSO: Astros’ Martin Maldonado catches combined perfect game for Puerto Rico’s WBC win vs. Israel
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