Otani Shohei eventually stood on top of the world with his strength more like a ‘manga’ than a manga.
On the 22nd (Korean time), Japan won 3-2 in the final against the United States at the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, USA, winning its third championship in its career.
Japan, which boasted the strongest lineup ever, and although there were several crises, it reached a perfect ending by beating even the United States, which prides itself on being the best in the world. Among them, Shohei Ohtani is definitely the star that shines the most. In this WBC, he also played an active part in both pitching and was selected as the MVP.
First, Ohtani played in 7 games as a hitter, recording a batting average of 0.435, 10 hits, 1 home run and 8 RBIs. As a pitcher, he pitched in two starts and one finish, posting an overwhelming result of 2 wins and 1 save with an earned run average of 1.86. In particular, with a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning against the United States, he took the mound as a finisher, struck out Mookie Betts, and struck out Mike Trout to secure the championship himself.
Ohtani, who has already conquered the major leagues, is often compared to Goro Shigeno, the main character of the manga 「Major」, as well as the best star player Japan boasts, and holds the great title of ‘comic rip-off (a man who rips out a manga)’.
What Ohtani and Goro have in common is that they are both pitchers and hitters. Of course, Goro did not double as a pitcher in the major leagues like Ohtani, but nonetheless, he has a perfect commonality in that he succeeded as a hitter by throwing a fastball that reached 160 km through baseball.
However, Ohtani writes a story that is more like a ‘manga’ than Goro, the main character of the manga. He even got the WBC championship title, which Goro couldn’t achieve. The title ‘Ripped from a cartoon’ couldn’t have been more appropriate.
Goro participated in the first WBC and led Japan to the finals by going back and forth between the bullpen and the finish. However, he lost the final against the United States with a blown save and a walk-off home run in overtime. Conversely, Ohtani was different. He took the mound as a starter and won all of them, and like Goro, he pitched as a finisher in the final against the U.S., saved with a perfect pitch, and confirmed the championship with his own hands.
There are not a few examples of Japanese sports cartoons becoming reality. It is not surprising that many players advance to Europe like the soccer cartoon “Our Field”. Like the basketball cartoon “Slam Dunk,” Japanese players going to the United States dreaming of becoming an NBA player is now a reality.
On top of this, Ohtani went one step further and led Japan to the top of the world, showing more overwhelming strength than Goro of “Major”. A situation that has already been confirmed as a selection for the opening game of the 2023 season of the Los Angeles Angels. We are seeing reality beyond cartoons.
It is a day of envy on the one hand and feeling of wonder on the other hand. Ohtani was so overwhelming and surprised everyone.메이저사이트 The expression ‘lost for words’ couldn’t be more appropriate. What’s even more frightening is that Ohtani’s heyday is just beginning.