Japan’s two-way star delivered the hardest hit ball of the entire tournament, 118.7 mph, per MLB research. He threw what was tied for the hardest pitch in the tournament, 102 mph. He also hit one of the longest homers in the tournament – 448 feet.
And he also delivered the most memorable speech in the WBC, when he addressed his teammates before Tuesday’s final against the United States, reminding them that the only way to beat the Americans is to stop praising them and seeing them as equals.
“[Winning] doesn’t mean we’ve reached the final goal, but it’s just a passing point,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after Japan’s 3-2 win on Tuesday. “Our team has just started. I think we need to tuneup for the future. “
Ohtani’s pregame speech:
“Let’s stop praising them… If you praise them, you can’t surpass them. We came here to surpass them, to reach the top. One day, we will throw away our admiration for them and just think about winning.”
(h/t @dylanohernandez) pic.twitter.com/hh441AaAzJ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 22, 2023
It’s Ohtani, on to the next one, pushing for more when he has it all. That his Los Angeles Angels didn’t play in October, that he was doomed to meaningless baseball late in the summer of his MLB career, hid the fire that had burned so brightly for the past two weeks. And nowhere was it more evident than when he faced Angels teammate and annual MVP candidate Mike Trout with two outs in the ninth inning Tuesday.
“I looked at him. He’s a competitor, man,” Trout said. “That’s why he’s the best.”
Ohtani has told reporters in the past that playing baseball his way — pitching and hitting, like only he can — is how he expresses himself. He is non-verbose, and sometimes relentlessly disinterested, when he talks to the media. But he is also direct, pointed and unwavering in his goals.
For example, when asked what he hopes will be the next step in his career after winning the World Baseball Classic MVP, Ohtani didn’t hesitate.
“Of course the new season starts, so that’s the first,” he said, through a translator. “Of course I have to start winning, and that’s the next step.”
Watching Ohtani play with a chance to win, watching his game face on the line, explains to anyone who didn’t see it during his time with the Angels just how much winning means. to him.
“What he does in the game is probably 90 percent of the guys in the clubhouse do in Little League or in youth tournaments, and he can take it on the biggest stage,” United States Manager Mark DeRosa said. . “He is a unicorn in the sport. I think other guys will try it, but I don’t think they will do it at his level.
The 28-year-old will be a free agent after this season. He has said many times in recent years that he is disappointed the Angels don’t win. But to see him live in the WBC — to see him run down the first base line to beat a groundball, calling himself safe as he rushed to throw the bag — is to believe that he desperate to win, for a chance to play. that thing, every day.
“He’s very diligent and he works very hard and he’s very careful in how he goes about his business,” outfielder Lars Nootbaar said. “No wonder he’s so obviously talented, but he also gets the best of his ability in how he works.”
Ohtani is scheduled to start Opening Day for the Angels against the Oakland Athletics, a matchup between two teams that never expected to compete in their division, let alone for a title. He doesn’t get a chance to walk out of the bullpen like a boxer enters the ring. He doesn’t play in front of packed stadiums every day. If all the WBC players return to sanctity, Ohtani may find himself returning to something worse if the Angels don’t turn out winners this season. He finds himself playing meaningless baseball, chasing numbers that matter only to him, honest and regimented and unable to fly.
Maybe the Angels will fly this year, just in time to convince him that he can play meaningful baseball there for years to come. Because meaningful baseball is where Ohtani belongs, where he thrives, where he expands to his full potential. And as the WBC explained, Shohei Ohtani playing meaningful baseball has lit up the entire baseball world.
