Why World Baseball Classic is starting to feel more like soccer's World Cup
MLB Network's Jon Morosi spoke with Tony Anderson about the energy surrounding the 2023 WBC and why fans are starting to take notice.
Sports Seriously, USA TODAY
The 2023 World Baseball Classic comes to a close with one last game, pitting the defending champion Team USA vs. two-time winner Japan for the title.
Despite a couple high-profile injuries, it's been a wildly successful tournament, shattering attendance and television viewing records and resulting a raucous atmosphere among the sold-out crowds for each of the final four games played in Miami.
Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly will start the game on the mound for the USA, while Yu Darvish gets the nod for Japan.
The championship game takes place on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, FS1) at loanDepot Park in Miami.
WBC: Japan rallies for walk-off instant-classic win over Mexico
What do we know about Team USA?
A star-studded United States squad, fueled by MVP winners Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Paul Goldschmidt, has rolled into the finals with some clutch hitting and solid pitching.
Managed by former major leaguer Mark DeRosa, Team USA seems to be peaking at the right time, hitting .382 with 23 runs, five doubles, one triple and six homers in its last two games.
The U.S. is coming off a convincing 14-2 victory over Cuba in Saturday's first semifinal. Trea Turner hit a pair of home runs and Goldschmidt added another in the rout.
Turner's four homers are the most by a USA player in WBC history.
NIGHTENGALE: Team USA feeling invincible heading into final
What do we know about Team Japan?
Japan won the first two World Baseball Classics in 2006 and 2009, and it is the only nation to make it to the semifinal round in each of the tournament's five editions.
Japan's roster features perhaps the best baseball player on the planet in Shohei Ohtani, who's playing for his homeland in the WBC for the first time. Ohtani helped lead Japan to a thrilling comeback win in the semifinals over Mexico on Monday night, hitting a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth and scoring the tying run on Munetaka Murakami's walk-off two run double.
MLB fans are also very familiar with Darvish, the starting pitcher for Japan in the final, from his 10-year major league career with the Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres. Darvish also pitched seven seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League before coming to MLB.
In addition, Team Japan also has St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar on its roster. (His mother is Japanese.) Also, outfielder Masataka Yoshida is playing for Japan before he begins his first MLB season with the Boston Red Sox. Masataka also has driven in 13 runs in the tournament, the most in WBC histor.
How to watch USA vs. Japan in the 2023 WBC championship game
The last of the tournament's 47 games will be aired Tuesday on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET, with a Spanish-language broadcast available on FOX Deportes. The title game will stream live on foxsports.com and the FOX Sports app. Streaming also available on fuboTV.
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