‘Ohtani (29) throws and Trout (32) appears at bat.’
It is the biggest box office card of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and a match of dreams. In the United States and Japan, there are already reports about the possibility of a pitching match between the two players in the championship round.
CBS, an American broadcasting company, said on the 14th, “One of the greatest pleasures of the WBC is that it offers often unseen confrontations,” and “It is a confrontation between fellow Major League players.” He also said, “The most interesting ‘forbidden fruit’ match at this WBC is the match between the Japanese and American teams, and the possibility of Shohei Ohtani pitching to LA Angels teammate Mike Trout.”
Of course, the success of this confrontation is questionable. It is what American and Japanese baseball fans want, but from the organizers’ point of view, there will be no bigger box office hit than this.
Japan advanced to the quarterfinals by winning all four matches in Group B in the first round of the WBC. The blow was also hot. He outplayed opponents by an average of 7 points or more in every game. On the 16th, Japan is set to play against Italy, which is second in Group A, in the quarterfinals. Ohtani will be the starting pitcher in the quarterfinal match against Italy at the Tokyo Dome. He has already led Japan to its first victory in the match against China on the 9th with 4 innings, 1 hit, 5 strikeouts and no runs. As a hitter, he showed off the true side of the ‘two-handed style’ with 2 hits in 4 at-bats, 2 RBIs, 1 run and 2 walks.
Ohtani is playing the role of a solver for Japan with a batting average of 0.500 (6 hits in 12 at-bats), 1 home run, and 8 RBIs in the first round of the WBC.
However, the Major League Baseball (MLB), which opens on the 31st, has emerged as an obstacle to Ohtani’s WBC move. mma 토토
Ohtani is the starting pitcher for the Angels’ Major League Opening Day. If it goes as planned, Ohtani should return to his team, the Angels, on the 24th. After making a mound in the major league exhibition game on the 25th, he must start the major league opening game on the 31st.
For this reason, unless Ohtani gives up the major league opening game on the premise of Japan’s victory in the quarterfinals, it will be difficult for him to play in games beyond the semifinals. If Japan wins in the quarterfinals, they will take a chartered flight to Miami, USA, and play the semifinals on the 21st (8:00 am), and if they win, they will have to play the finals on the 22nd (8:00 am).
Angels coach Phil Nevin said, “From my understanding, Ohtani will pitch in the quarterfinal game, and from the 24th, it will be time for the Angels in any situation.” I will pitch and get on the mound as a starter for the opening game against the Oakland Athletics on the 31st.”
On the other hand, Ohtani expressed his will to win the WBC, saying, “We haven’t had a direct conversation and nothing has been decided yet,” in response to reporters’ questions regarding coach Nevin’s remarks.
CBS predicted that Ohtani would gift the Japanese national team advances to the semifinals and head to his team, the Los Angeles Angels.
It is highly likely that the quarterfinals will be Ohtani’s last WBC match.