Shohei Ohtani, who had a batting average of 50% + 8 RBIs and 4 scoreless innings, was selected as the first round Group B MVP without any change.
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) Secretariat announced on the 15th (Korean time) that Ohtani was selected as the MVP of Group B in the first round of the finals. In Group B, Japan ranked first with 4 wins, Australia ranked second with 3 wins and 1 loss, Korea Republic ranked third with 2 wins and 2 losses, Czech Republic ranked fourth with 1 win and 3 losses, and China ranked fifth with 4 losses.스마일 토토
In Japan, which advanced to the quarterfinals by winning the match, Ohtani played a big role as a dual wielder with both pitching and batting. First of all, Ohtani came out as a starting pitcher in the first game against China and became the winning pitcher by throwing 1 hit and no runs in 4 innings.
Ohtani was also active as a hitter. 50% batting average (6 hits in 12 at-bats) with 8 RBIs in 4 games. Even more surprising, he had an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.684 while striking out 3 doubles and 1 home run while picking up 7 walks. The opposing teams in Group B caught Ohtani with an intentional shot or a walk, but in the end they couldn’t stop him.
It was only natural that Ohtani, who ranked first in Group B batting average, RBI, walks, and on-base percentage, and became a winning pitcher as a pitcher, would become the MVP.
For Ohtani, the 2023 WBC is also a stage for revenge. Ohtani, who participated in his first international competition through the WBSC Premier 12 in 2015, had a great fight with 2 hits and 10 strikeouts in 6 innings in the opening game against Korea, and in the semifinals, he played a powerful fight with 1 hit and 11 strikeouts in 7 innings. However, it could not prevent Korea from winning the semi-final with Lee Dae-ho’s come-from-behind, timely hit in the ninth inning and Japan losing.
Since then, Ohtani has firmly established himself as a dual sword player representing the American major leagues. He became the best player in the big leagues in 2021, when he became the American League MVP. Last year, as a pitcher, he went 15-9 with an ERA of 2.33/as a hitter, recording a batting average of 0/273/30 home runs/95 RBIs, making a big success.
Ohtani, who leads the Japanese national team along with Darvish, is likely to start the quarterfinal against Italy on the 16th. It is expected to be the last game to play an active part in the two-sword style as it is scheduled to be a starter for the opening game of the major leagues.
