World Baseball Classic MVP: Shohei Ohtani caps off epic WBC run with tournament’s top honor

By | March 21, 2023
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For the 2023 World Baseball Classic to bring baseball back to the annals of international sport, it would need a hero. As it turned out, it had a unicorn.

Shohei Ohtani sparkled under the WBC lights, shining in both Japan and the U.S. For his impressive efforts, he was awarded World Baseball Classic MVP, capping off a tournament run unlike any other in the competition’s history.

Ohtani would’ve had a case for the award had he just hit or just pitched. The fact that he excelled at both — while lined up against some of the most talented opposition in the world — made the honor something of a foregone conclusion.

Still, it was a stunning performance for the Japanese star, another piece in his already lengthy laundry list of accomplishments. For the first time since making his MLB debut, not only was he considered the best, but so was his team.

MORE: How Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to close WBC championship

Here’s how Ohtani captured the all-important item of World Baseball Classic MVP.

Who won World Baseball Classic MVP in 2023?

Shohei Ohtani added to his crowded trophy cabinet by capturing the 2023 WBC MVP. The Japanese unicorn was a dominant presence at the plate and on the mound, posting a 1.321 OPS while going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 10 strikeouts over the course of the tourney.

He lit up the tournament, cementing his status as the game’s greatest talent. There was his epic long ball vs. Australia, a menacing moonshot that brought the Tokyo Dome faithful to its feet at the crack of the bat.

He scored the game-tying run in Japan’s walk-off win vs. Mexico in the semifinals, chugging down the bases like a man possessed.

And he saved his best for last in the final, fooling Mike Trout with a 3-2 slider to bring the WBC title back to Japan.

MORE: Japan outlasts USA as Shohei Ohtani seals victory

World Baseball Classic MVP winners

Year MVP Team Pos.
2006 Daisuke Matsuzaka (1) Japan P
2009 Daisuke Matsuzaka (2) Japan P
2013 Robinson Cano Dominican Republic 2B
2017 Marcus Stroman United States P
2023 Shohei Ohtani Japan P/DH

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