Erin WalshMarch 22, 2023 Eric Espada/Getty Images Japan are 2023 World Baseball Classic champs, beating the United States 3-2 on Tuesday night at loanDepot Park in Miami. This is Japan’s very first title considering that they caught back-to-back crowns in 2006 and 2009. B/R Walk-Off @BRWalkoffTEAM JAPAN WINS THE 2023 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC pic.twitter.com/ZTi0ebRGnp Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto and Lars Nootbaar each drove in runs for Japan. After Trea Turner struck a crowning achievement, his fifth of the competition, to put the Americans up 1-0 in the top of the 2nd inning, Murakami reacted with a solo shot of his own in the bottom half to connect the video game. Later on that inning, Nootbaar likewise drove in a kept up the bases filled with a groundout to very first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Bleacher Report @BleacherReportTREA TURNER GIVES TEAM USA A 1-0 LEAD (by means of @mlbonfox)pic.twitter.com/bnZw5dalY2 B/R Walk-Off @BRWalkoffMUNETAKA MURAKAMI ANSWERS RIGHT BACK (through @MLBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/sNXeaAb1Vc B/R Walk-Off @BRWalkoffJapan takes the lead (through @MLBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/IAXUHpGNhr Japan extended its lead in the 4th inning on a crowning achievement by Okamoto. His solo shot showed to be the game-winner. Bleacher Report @BleacherReportJapan leaps out to a 3-1 lead over USA (by means of @MLBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/Xkf6mDpQ19 The Americans had a hard time to get any momentum going throughout the video game, though Kyle Schwarber breathed some life into the United States with a crowning achievement versus Yu Darvish in the top of the 8th inning, cutting Japan’s cause 3-2. Bleacher Report @BleacherReportKyle Schwarber with a solo BLAST USA cuts Japan’s result in 1 (through @MLBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/buBREF1r0Z The entryway of Shohei Ohtani on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning all however signified completion of the video game. While Jeff McNeil worked a walk off the two-way phenom, Mookie Betts grounded into a double play. The last match on the planet Baseball Classic boiled down to Ohtani and Mike Trout, the Los Angeles Angels colleagues who are a few of the very best gamers in the video game. Ohtani set out Trout on a complete count to clinch the gold medal for Japan in what was among the most electrical minutes of the whole competition. Bleacher Report @BleacherReportSHOHEI STRIKES OUT MIKE TROUT TO WIN THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC (through @MLB) pic.twitter.com/Iiu0ykPQ37 After the win, fans applauded Ohtani and Japan for their fantastic efficiency versus a United States lineup loaded with Major League Baseball’s most significant stars: Chris Bassitt @C_Bass419Ohtani is the very best gamer our video game needs to provide and he simply revealed the whole world in this WBC. A skill our video game has actually never ever seen. Congrats to Team Japan. Marcus Stroman @STR0Give Ohtani a billion dollars. Legendary unicorn god on the ball park! Frank Piscani @frankpiscaniShohei Ohtani is the face of baseball and I believe that’s quite cool Jeremy Layton @JeremyLayt0nAthletes I’ll inform my kids about seeing – Patrick Mahomes – Steph Curry – Shohei Ohtani Josh Landes @JoshLandesWAMCI suggest like every week the Ohtani GOAT argument simply gets more and more apparent Jeremy Gray @IUJGraySmoltz is. Ohtani is currently among the best gamers of all-time. He’s had a minute. He’s raised in the zeitgeist. Baseball knocked other sports out of the headings in March. Macro arguments versus the occasion are insane. Eric Stephens @icemancomethThere is no baseball gamer in the world like Shohei Ohtani. Truthfully, today, nobody touches this man. Matt Infield @Matt_InfieldNot sure this is even a from another location hot take any longer. Shohei Ohtani is the most skilled baseball gamer ever. Argue with a wall. Avoid Bayless @RealSkipBaylessBarry Bonds was the best hitter/fielder/baserunner I ever saw. Shohei Ohtani’s capability to strike AND pitch is beyond Babe Ruth. The boy at 28 is currently LEGENDARY. Jason Berken @JasonBerkenWe’ve never ever seen anything from another location near Shohei. International face of baseball. Fantastic. WBC was extraordinary #Ohtani Jeff B. is * BOX OFFICE POISON * @EsotericCDThe World Baseball Classic ended tonight with Japan winning 3-2 v. USA, fending off a late inning return by our kids. The last out was Shohei Ohtani starting out his fellow Angels colleague (and among the best gamers ever) Mike Trout to seal it. Baseball is gorgeous. Brandon Crawford @bcraw35That was the most amusing “mEaNiNgLeSs” competition I’ve ever seen #WBC Justin Turner @redturn2Pretty cool match to end the @WBCBaseball The competition was great and ideally there our kids all over the world imagining using their nations colors while playing this fantastic video game! Congratulations to everybody included. P.S. #MasaForMVP ⚾ Trevor May @IamTrevorMayThe truth that the compare taken place like that was that the cherry on top. Damn. That’s how it expected to be. Baseball, you gorgeous video game! Mark Gubicza @MarkgubiczaWhat an extraordinary method to round off the #WorldBaseballClassic! Congrats to Samurai Japan on winning the champion!! The is unbelievable! Super proud of Team USA. Baseball is the very best! ⚾ Ohtani was likewise called the World Baseball Classic MVP for his efforts throughout the competition. He struck.435 with 4 doubles, one crowning achievement and 8 RBI, in addition to publishing a 1.86 ERA, 11 strikeouts, 2 wins and a conserve in 9.2 innings. Furthermore, Japan is simply the junior varsity in World Baseball Classic history to go unbeaten in the competition. The Dominican Republic achieved the task in 2013. With the 2023 World Baseball Classic having actually been absolutely nothing however a success for the video game, fans and gamers can’t wait till it’s back in 2026.