Like in a movie script, fate wanted the two teammates to meet as enemies in the final chapter to determine the ending of the movie.
And the limit count for pitcher and batter came in the top of the ninth inning, which already had two outs.
Then Shohei Ohtani, who was reserved like the chosen few to close the game for Japan from the mound, unleashed a disturbing sweeper, one of those venomous throws with an accentuated side fall that became fashionable last year among the pitchers. of the major leagues.
Outfielder Mike Trout, Ohtani’s teammate with the Angels, failed to notice the perverse effect of the ball coming very close to the pitching area.
Ohtani’s sweeper was traveling at 87.2 miles per hour, just over 90 miles, leaving Trout fanning, who minutes earlier had seen the Japanese throw Jeff McNeil and Mookie Betts out of circulation with a double play.
It was the 27th of the final of the V World Classic and the inauguration of Japan, which, with a 2-3 victory, increased its undefeated legend as the top winner of the World Classic by three titles, at the expense of the champion of the last version.
From an individual point of view, the two friends’ final duel has left us wondering if the economic abyss that separates them is fair. At the age of 31, the American builds a net worth of $ 140 million, and the Japanese star, three years younger, 15 million, according to specialized media.
As Trout signed a 10-year contract extension in 2019 for $360 million and a net salary of $35.4 million, the best in the major leagues, Ohtani is studying the path he will take next season without a shortage of suitors.
The journalistic suspicions guarantee that at least a dozen teams would be willing to tempt the Japanese with a $450 million contract, and that the offer could even reach $500 million.
THE BEST OF THE WORLD CLASSICS
The massive phenomenon encouraged nearly half of the country to watch every match of the Samurais in the tournament in front of the television, according to crowd measurements. In figures, about 62.5 million of the 125 million that the country followed religiously in their selection.
Ohtani, who turns 29 on July 5, has been named the best player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The lanky 6-foot pitcher and batter who wears the number 16 on his back was joined in the select stands by his compatriot, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, the only repeat Most Valuable Player and first person in charge about the titles. in 2006 and 2009.
During the celebration on the lawn of Ioan Depot Park in Miami, home of the Marins, Hideki Kuriyama’s students also paid tribute to an old acquaintance of that location, pitcher Ichiro Suzuki, who decisively shaped the two-time Japanese with his hits championship.
But Shohei Ohtani, the man who can carry his balls to a distance of more than 150 meters, which is currently about 1641 meters, has no ceiling.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
