Regardless of how the World Baseball Classic ends, one thing is for sure: Team Japan and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is still the best player on the planet.
Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Shohei Ohtani didn't win the World Baseball Classic, but he still emerged as one of its biggest winners.
- Team Japan’s star avoided any injuries while dominating opponents with a stellar batting average and OPS.
- Ohtani's performance and health remain crucial for the Dodgers' World Series hopes this season.
In fact, Ohtani continues making the case for the greatest player of our lifetime. What more is there to say after he hit .462 with three home runs, seven RBIs, and a 1.842 OPS over four games? Opposing teams quickly realized that giving Ohtani the Barry Bonds treatment — pitching outside or outright intentionally walking him — was safer than risking him crushing a ball into the right field stands.
Shohei Ohtani didn't win the WBC, but he stayed healthy
While Team Japan’s championship quest ended with a stunning 8–5 loss to Venezuela on Saturday night, both Ohtani and the Dodgers nonetheless emerged victorious, all because the four-time MVP escaped the WBC without injury.
Players getting hurt during the World Baseball Classic is nothing new, with then-New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz’s 2023 season-ending right knee injury being the most infamous example. Respectfully, not many fans would have batted an eye if a career minor-leaguer or someone who plays internationally had suffered an injury during this year’s tournament.
Ohtani, though, would have been another story entirely. He and Team USA captain Aaron Judge are the two faces of Major League Baseball, and Ohtani has long solidified his place as a global icon. He’s one of only two players in league history to win the MVP Award four times, and there’s no reason to think he won’t contend for a third straight NL MVP — and fifth overall — this year.
Now, imagine a scenario where had Ohtani hurt his knee or elbow and needed to open the year on the injured list. Would the loaded Dodgers have been able to survive a month without Ohtani? Probably. Could they enter the All-Star Break in first place if Ohtani wasn’t able to make his season debut until July? We can’t exactly bet against the Dodgers at this point, now can we?
Baseball is better when Shohei Ohtani has something to prove
Baseball is so much better when Ohtani is on the field, and has something to prove. There has never been a player like Ohtani in the modern age, and there may never be one again. He’s become must-see TV every night in a way that few baseball players have. For as great as legends like Ken Griffey Jr., Albert Pujols, or Greg Maddux were, did they ever truly warrant the daily attention that Ohtani does?
If you think that we’re being dramatic, consider that Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki left after the first inning on Saturday with right knee discomfort after sliding into second base. Neither the Cubs nor Team Japan had an update on Suzuki’s health at publication. The Cubs open the season on March 26 at home against the Washington Nationals.
It’s obviously possible that Suzuki could have gotten injured during a meaningless spring training game. And, contrary to what some social media users might argue, his injury doesn’t mean that MLB players need to avoid the WBC going forward.
So, no, we won’t see Ohtani hoist the WBC trophy in Miami later this week. But if we get to late October and early November and he’s celebrating with a different kind of trophy, we don’t expect him to argue or complain much. Baseball fans tired of seeing the Dodgers win the World Series might sing a different tune, though Ohtani’s greatness should make it all worth it.