Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are leading their respective countries in the WBC. Imagine the two players as one team.”
The bitter reality of the Los Angeles Angels was made into a meme. The reality that Ohtani, who leads Japan, and Trout, who leads the United States, are on the same team, but rarely achieve results, became a joke.
Japan won a come-from-behind victory at the end of the 9th inning 6-5 in the semifinal match against Mexico in the championship round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held at Londipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 21st (Korean time). Munetaka Murakami (Yakult), who had been sluggish throughout the tournament, scored a two-run double to end the match and put Japan into the final. Ohtani came out as the leading batter in the ninth inning and hit a double to give hope to the Japanese national team and even tied the score.
In this way, the final match between the United States and Japan, the ‘dream confrontation’ envisioned by the Major League Secretariat, was concluded. In the final on the 22nd, no matter which team wins, an interesting story unfolds. The defending champions, the United States, could become the second team to win in a row, following Japan, who reached the top in 2006 and 2009. Japan, which is on a six-game winning streak, is challenging its second undefeated title following the Dominican Republic in 2013.
As the U.S. and Japan met in the final, a lot of attention was also focused on Ohtani and Trout facing each other. Both players are the best in the major leagues, but the Angels haven’t made the playoffs in the past five years even with them.
The highest ranking during this period was 3rd in the American League West Division. I’ve never even competed for a wild card. In 2018바카라, 80 wins and 82 losses was the highest win rate, but at this time, it was only ranked 4th in the district. Thanks to that, I am hearing sarcastic remarks about the team not being able to produce results even with ‘Trautani’.
This year may be the last time Trout and Ohtani play on the same team. Ohtani will become a free agent at the end of this season. Expectations are dominant that a contract worth $500 million, the largest in major league history, will be released.
Because of this situation, another meme appeared saying, “It’s interesting that Ohtani is dealing with fellow Trout. It’s also interesting that he’s dealing with Will Smith and Mookie Betts, who will be teammates from next year.” This is the content that predicts Ohtani’s transfer to the Dodgers.