Shohei Ohtani Strikes Out Mike Trout

The greatest individual moment in international baseball history. Bottom of the ninth. Japan leads 3-2 in the WBC Final. Shohei Ohtani — the most talented baseball player alive — enters the game as closer to face Team USA. The batter? Mike Trout, his Angels teammate and the best player of his generation.

Ohtani had already been dominant as both a pitcher and hitter throughout the tournament. Now he was being asked to close out a championship against the most dangerous lineup on the planet. Trout worked the count full. The entire baseball world held its breath. Then Ohtani uncorked a devastating slider that froze Trout for strike three.

Ohtani's reaction — throwing his glove in the air, screaming with a joy that transcended language — became the defining image of the WBC era. Two teammates. Two generational talents. One pitch that decided the championship of the world. Hollywood could not have written it better.