Japan Repeats with Walk-Off in 2009

Japan and South Korea had been on a collision course throughout the 2009 WBC. They played each other five times in the tournament — an extraordinary number that turned their rivalry into the defining narrative of the event. The final was the fifth meeting, and it delivered one of the greatest finishes in baseball history.

Tied 3-3 in the 10th inning, Ichiro Suzuki — who had been struggling at the plate throughout the final — stepped up with two runners on base. Ichiro singled to center, driving in two runs and giving Japan a 5-3 lead that would hold for the championship. The man who had been Japan's emotional leader finally delivered the biggest hit of his legendary career.

The image of Ichiro pumping his fist after the hit, tears streaming down his face, is one of the most powerful images in baseball history. Japan became the first repeat champion. Ichiro became a national deity. And the Japan-Korea rivalry became the most intense in international baseball.