23 for ‘23: Ohtani vs. Trout Was an Instant Classic Moment for Baseball

By Stephen Cannella The year’s signature baseball moment happened before the season even started. At least that’s how most fans and players usually look at the World Baseball Classic: It’s a fun preseason exhibition, but it lacks the intensity, the stakes and the star power of, say, soccer’s World Cup. Real baseball starts on MLB’s Opening Day. That perception shifted in a big way on March 21, in the ninth inning of the WBC final between the U.S. and Japan. Two outs, nobody on, Japan clinging to a 3–2 lead and the tournament coming down to an at bat the baseball world had been dreaming of: Sho…

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