Japan in ecstasy for the title of world champion in baseball

Japanese fans celebrated their country’s ecstatic victory against the United States (3-2) this Wednesday in the V World Baseball Classicwhere they became three-time champions in the final played at Miami Loan Depot Parki (USA).

Thousands of fans celebrated the victory and took to the streets to celebrate and buy special editions of major newspapers, something that is very common during sporting events or historical events in the Asian country.

“Congratulations Japan on the win! My heart is pounding,” said a Japanese user on his Twitter account with the tag “Japan Winner” and the country’s flag, a hashtag that has had more than 150,000 posts today.

This is how the Japanese celebrated the victory of their “samurai”an affectionate nickname given to the national baseball team, with visibly emotional fans in bars and other facilities where the game was broadcast, as some companies gave their workers a few hours off to watch it.

The nets were also filled with comments of thanks to the main star of the team, Shohei Ohtani, who was the most valuable player, and who gave Japan the last exit by releasing a worrying ‘sweeper’, one of those venomous throws with an emphasized lateral. fall that became fashionable last year among pitchers The big leagues.

Outfielder Mike Trout, a fellow Ohtani in the Angels, he didn’t notice the impact that ball made very close to the launch area.

Ohtani’s ‘cleaner’ traveled at 87.2 miles per hour, just over 140 kilometers per hour, and left Trout reeling, having minutes earlier seen the Japanese put out of traffic by a double kill Jeff McNeil and Mookie Betts.

“It’s true that I admire Trout, but there’s no one I admire more than Ohtani,” another Japanese fan said on social media, which was also filled with celebratory videos and interviews with the star.

Almost half the country was in front of the TV during every Samurai game this tournament, according to audience measurements. In numbers, about 62.5 million of the country’s 125 million inhabitants followed their choice religiously.

Ohtani, who will turn 29 on July 5, was also declared the best player in the league World Baseball Classic 2023.

The 1.93-meter-tall pitcher and batsman, who wears the number 16 on his back, was joined in the selected gallery by his compatriot, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, the only one who repeated as the most valuable player and was responsible for Japan’s titles in 2006 and 2009.

Another standout of the match was Yu Darvish, who was also the subject of eulogies on social media.

“Ohtani will get all the applause, but not enough has been said about veteran Yu Darvish’s leadership, both on and off the court. He is the true MVP (Most Valuable Player) of Japan,” resident Kai Iizuka told EFE. Tokyo and a fan of this sport who was able to follow the match today from his office.

The victory allowed Japan to win the unbeaten The V World Baseball Classic i became a three-time champion in the final held in Miami.

10 years ago, the Dominican Republic went undefeated in the Classic, and this Tuesday, the Japanese team equaled that feat by finishing this edition with a 7-0 record.

The Japanese were crowned champions in the first two editions of the World Classic in 2006 and 2009. The United States did so in the last one, played in 2017.