Fox’s Joe Davis raves about calling WBC showdown

Shohei Ohtani. Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Fox’s Joe Davis raves about calling Shohei Ohtani-Mike Trout WBC showdown

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 3/24/23

Fox's Joe Davis has opened up about being able to call the epic World Baseball Classic showdown between Los Angeles Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout this past Tuesday night.

"The World Series stands alone for me, but that specific at-bat might be the next thing," Davis told Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. "It’s just one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed. You almost wish you could press pause on the moment and just sit there and really have a chance to soak it in. I think we all know that it was Shohei Ohtani on the mound. We knew that it was Mike Trout in the box and the game was on the line. But to really be able to sit there and reflect on the greatness that we’re watching on the same field, going head to head in that moment, I wish I had a rewind button to get me back there and a pause button to really soak it in."

Team Japan held a 3-2 lead over Team USA heading into the bottom of the ninth when the visitors called upon Ohtani to pitch in relief.

Following a double play, Trout, the Team USA captain, walked to the plate for the tournament's most dramatic at-bat. The American quickly acknowledged his club teammate but was then struck out by arguably "the greatest athlete" in the world today:

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Relive Shohei Ohtani vs Mike Trout in its entirety pic.twitter.com/8ln13dH3fC
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 22, 2023

For reasons that still baffle many, sports radio legend Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo later said that Tuesday's game "was awful" and even suggested he wasn't entertained by the Ohtani-Trout battle. Russo predictably was blasted by fans and even some current players for his take, while Davis called the at-bat a "made-for-a-movie moment."

The WBC occurring so soon before the start of the MLB season and the overall existence of the tournament have been criticized by many fans after New York Mets star closer Edwin Diaz, Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright all suffered worrisome injuries while away from their clubs on international duty. Some, such as Mets ace Max Scherzer, have said the WBC should be held during the summer and after players have already spent months competing in meaningful games.

"I know there’s been a lot of different ideas thrown around, and I just can’t imagine a better tournament than we just had," Davis told Deitsch. "I know you can poke holes in some of the things — pitchers aren’t completely built up or whatever. How can you mess with what was so perfect an event? That said, what if you played the group stage at this time and then took a week off around the All-Star Break and played what we just had in Miami, the knockout round? Or if that’s too much, you take the top four teams and have them compete during the All-Star break."

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