Shohei Ohtani Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Four stats show just how dominant Shohei Ohtani was at the WBC

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 3/22/23

Shohei Ohtani struck out fellow Los Angeles Angels superstar teammate Mike Trout to give Japan a 3-2 victory over the United States in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship on Tuesday night.

It was the final moment of a legendary WBC title run for the tournament's MVP, as the best -- and most unique -- player in Major League Baseball blew away one of the other greatest players in MLB on three swinging strikes.

There are four particular statistics that stood out from Ohtani's dual dominance on the mound and at the plate that prove just how impressive he was at the international March showcase.

If you aren't impressed, you should be. Mike Trout has had 3 swinging strikes in only 24 of his 6,174 career MLB plate appearances!pic.twitter.com/VTlcRnAgPH
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 22, 2023

Shohei Ohtani at the WBC:
-hardest-hit ball 118.7 mph
-tied for the longest homer 448 feet -threw the fastest pitch 102 mph
-struck out Mike Trout to win the WBC pic.twitter.com/uuiVhERMmI
— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) March 22, 2023

Ohtani finished the 2023 WBC with a .435 batting average and tournament-high 10 walks, while racking up 11 strikeouts against just two walks in his three pitching appearances (two starts) covering 9 2/3 innings.

Ohtani has expressed his desire to play in the next WBC (in 2026), while Trout seems likely to compete again in three years.

It’s hard to sum up into words what these last couple of weeks have meant to me. I had the time of my life representing that USA on my chest! The energy was electric and made the WBC a moment I’ll always cherish. So thank you all so much. It was an honor to be your captain. pic.twitter.com/V5TOEaKpu7
— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) March 22, 2023

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