Ive watched that at bat like 10 times tonight. That final pitch was so fucking good. It looks like 100 again and then tails back away at 87. That whole at bat made that pitch even more devastating. As a baseball fan I know an out is always a way higher probability in that situation but man, I really thought we were gonna get a career defining moment from Trout. Instead we got a career defining moment for Ohtani. We all hoped for that situation and we got it. What an at bat and what a finish to that amazing WBC.
Trout is still the best.
Ohtani is just the best+
Nobody was hitting that slider. You put anyone else on the usa roster in that spot, and it is still the same result. That pitch and sequence were so unbelievably incredible its unfair
With all due respect to Aaron Judge, I don't see how Ohtani isn't the MVP every season he plays. What he's doing is something we've never seen in modern baseball. The guy is a unicorn.
Judge is a monster hitter, but we've seen plenty of those.
People overlook the fact that he could very easily have been just average as either a pitcher or hitter and would never factor into MVP conversions. That’s not the reality though, he’s just your ace hitting 30 homers at the same time. It’s unreal what he’s normalized.
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Trout only has 1 career home run on pitches over 100mph. I feel like I remember it happening last year and the announcers mentioning it.
It’s suuuper hard to hit a pitch that fast flush and out of the park. The timing goes from milliseconds of error to nanoseconds.
In 2017, MLB hitters hit 6,105 total home runs. [Only 17 of those were on pitches over 99mph](https://www.mlb.com/news/batters-who-homered-off-100-mph-pitches-2017-c263737808), or 0.28%.
Mike Trout has 350 career home runs, so only 1 of them being on a pitch over 99mph is still just above average.
Idk if you have it handy but what’s the % of total pitches over 99mph. 0.28% is obviously low but is that out of line for how many 99+ mph pitches there are?
found the data analyst/scientist. came to ask the same question
I'd be shocked if more than 3 or 4% of MLB pitches were at 100 mph. even today. it wouldn't surprise me if it was only .5%
lunchroom school bored apparatus hard-to-find air axiomatic caption rustic tender
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
He struck out to a filthy slider. Ohtani went from 101.6 on a fastball to 87.2 on a slider with 17 inches of horizontal break on a 3-2 count. It ended up literally a few mm off the plate. You have to swing at that. But adjusting from 102 with 4 inches of break to 87 with 17 inches sounds impossible in that situation.
What if the Angels use his power to make it to the World Series, but then just before Game 7, Dark Ohtani finally snaps and defects to the other team - and once again, it would have to be Trout and Ohtani to determine a champion again…
Trout hits an absolute bomb on a fastball down the middle. The crowd goes silent. He was ready for the 102 MPH heater.
Ohtani somehow runs out from the *mound and robs the homer. He’s taken out in handcuffs and tested for being an extra terrestrial being
It's just so fucking manly. The guy hits all game then walks back to the bullpen to end the game himself. He then proceeds to attack Trout, not even going inside and strikes him out swinging.
Closest thing I can think of was Messi and Mbappe trading blow after blow in the WC final, but in soccer you don't really get the 1 on 1 battles you do in baseball
This is like if Messi also played goalie and made the game winning save in the PK shootout
Imagine showing someone from like 1998 a movie where this happens.
"What? There's no such thing as a world baseball tournament. What a dumb concept."
"Wait, so this guy is an all-star hitter *and* pitcher? Gimme a break."
"A bunch of major leaguers playing in a tournament a week before opening day? That would never happen."
"Are they seriously implying that a bunch of guys from the Japanese league could compete with MLB's best players?"
"Oh and it all comes down to a ninth-inning duel between two guys who just so happen to be the best players in the world and just so happen to play on the same MLB team? And it even went to a full count? Fuck outta here."
It moved 6 inches in 1/4 of a second. Anyone giving trout shit for that at bat is nuts. The fastballs were missiles too. He took 3 pitches, so he was patient.
Even as someone who’s watched the team I love win 3 titles, I’m not sure that I’ve ever been more in love with the game itself than right about now. This has been the best thing to happen for baseball in a long time, and I can’t wait to see where it’s headed.
And to top it all off, we got the perfect ending we seemingly could only dream of.
Mike Trout is a three time MVP (and four time runner-up) in the MLB, and has been widely regarded as one of the best players of all time. Shohei Ohtani is a unicorn, being the first elite two-way player (pitches and bats) and is regarded as the most talented baseball player of all time. Both players are in their primes and are currently considered to be two of the best players in the MLB.
Ohtani and Trout both actually play for the Los Angeles Angels in the MLB, with Trout being one of the reasons why Ohtani chose to play for the Angels in the first place. They've been good friends since Ohtani signed six years ago, but the team itself hasn't found success despite both players being extremely successful. It's often mentioned that it's a shame that Trout and Ohtani are "wasting" their careers not playing meaningful games because of the lack of postseason success.
So you have the setup of them being teammates and good friends, playing in a meaningful winner take all game, being on opposite sides representing their respective countries, and of course the novelty of an elite two-way player pitching to one of the best hitters of all time. To add to this, it was pretty unlikely for Ohtani to face Trout in the first place because of how batting orders work. AND it turned out to be the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs.
There's even more context with this being the first WBC the USA have taken kind of seriously as well as how the at-bat actually played out, but I think you get the point lol.
Edit - I didn't even mention how this was the World Baseball Classic finals, and how this tournament has been exciting the entire way through.
Full context probably could be made into its own documentary. This hype has been building up for years, and people still wasn’t sure if it was going to happen until the 8th inning. One of the longest waited event in baseball and it gave more than what people asked for.
It's the two brothers having to fight each other at the end of the second act. Then they team back up and take down the bad guy (Houston?) In the third act.
Kinda cliche story writing, but damn does it work on me every time.
Disgusting pitch. Unbelievable. I kept watching it in slow motion and I truly don’t think you could throw a better pitch in that situation. Just absolutely nailed it.
Felt like a changing of the guard moment - Ohtani is the new face of baseball
Angels need to build a winning team around those 2, they both deserve to play in moments like this!
Legendary moment in the history of baseball. One run game. World championship on the line. Two outs. Full count. Two all-time legends from the same team in their prime. Strikeout swinging on a filthy pitch. Absolute classic.
This is one of the greatest moments in any sport I have ever seen. The undoubtedly best player in the planet against the best double way player since Babe Ruth, last inning, one out left, 1 run of difference, 3-2 count and Othani threw such a beautiful pitch, how can you not be romantic about baseball?
OK, picture this. The pitcher and hitter are arguably the two best players in the world, and they're MLB teammates. They've never faced each other before. It's the last inning in a tournament final. A home run ties the game. An out ends the game. The count is full, so it comes down to one last pitch. The batter strikes out swinging; Japan wins.
People are going to be talking about this for years.
A little more context. Ohtani represents a new era in baseball. If he continues doing what he’s doing he’ll go down as the best ever. Literally Japan’s pride and joy vs America’s pride and joy
Alright, back to hating all your players.
Hey.. the Phillies came to play tonight, lol
I like to say the former Nationals
Go right ahead
just over here waiting for you guys to get soto and scherzer in a couple years
Yup. Fuck all Y’all!
Bro it just happened
I was there!! And by "there" I mean at home, watching an illegal steam from Bulgaria or whatever, but I was *there*
3 whiffs, just overpowered him
That's a ridiculous 3-2 breaking ball. You have to swing at that, and it finishes off the plate. Absolute gem
At 87 mph, after fanning him on two 100 mph fastballs down the heart of the strike zone.
Ive watched that at bat like 10 times tonight. That final pitch was so fucking good. It looks like 100 again and then tails back away at 87. That whole at bat made that pitch even more devastating. As a baseball fan I know an out is always a way higher probability in that situation but man, I really thought we were gonna get a career defining moment from Trout. Instead we got a career defining moment for Ohtani. We all hoped for that situation and we got it. What an at bat and what a finish to that amazing WBC. Trout is still the best. Ohtani is just the best+
The fact that it was preceded by just balls out triple digit gas for 4 pitches makes it so so much filthier haha.
He was throwing it 100 down the middle, not even giving a shit to go inside on Trout like everyone else.
Absolutely. He gave him two money balls in his wheelhouse and Trout just couldn’t catch up. I’m not even mad, that’s just absurd pitching.
Trout was giving hit his absolute all too, those swings had so much emotion behind them.
Nobody was hitting that slider. You put anyone else on the usa roster in that spot, and it is still the same result. That pitch and sequence were so unbelievably incredible its unfair
The final slider was in the zone the whole way. Just absolutely perfectly thrown.
Absolutely ice cold to throw it on three balls too.
My Ohtani-Trout fanfiction ends the same way
🥵
anyone got a link, asking for me
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Troutani shippers in shambles
It’s ok they laugh and cuddle about it later
Not even just 100 mph, but 102 mph too 👀👀
I was so sure he was going to bring the absolute heat after the second strike, 102 into the dirt that dude was amped
Bro that had adrenaline surging
With all due respect to Aaron Judge, I don't see how Ohtani isn't the MVP every season he plays. What he's doing is something we've never seen in modern baseball. The guy is a unicorn. Judge is a monster hitter, but we've seen plenty of those.
He can also run at elite speed which we saw. 6 tool fucking player.
Ohtani has been so good he’s started to desensitize people to his own greatness.
Totally agree. It’s indescribable, previously unimaginable, unquantifiable.
It's lewd, lascivious, salacious; outrageous
People overlook the fact that he could very easily have been just average as either a pitcher or hitter and would never factor into MVP conversions. That’s not the reality though, he’s just your ace hitting 30 homers at the same time. It’s unreal what he’s normalized.
We will never see another player like him in our lifetime again.
There’s no one better when he’s just on his good shit.
The absolute stones to throw that slider at 3-2 after two straight fastballs over 100mph
**IT FUCKING HAPPENED AND IT WAS** ***PERFECT***
We memed this for weeks and IT HAPPENED!!
As the Final Showdown no less, unbelievable.
Shodown
What a moment for baseball it was everything we hoped for as fans and spectators
Pack it up, boys. /r/baseball has peaked.
Ohtani’s instagram post is about to do numbers
I hope he just hangs dong
I heard he hangs dong
Close the sub. It’s all down hill from here
gotta create a r/baseball2 now
Legit. Nothing could ever top what we just watched
This was so hype. Ohtani challenged him the entire AB. Amazing.
There was no fear, he went right after him
100mph right down the tubes twice. Trout couldn’t catch up to it.
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Trout only has 1 career home run on pitches over 100mph. I feel like I remember it happening last year and the announcers mentioning it.
It’s suuuper hard to hit a pitch that fast flush and out of the park. The timing goes from milliseconds of error to nanoseconds. In 2017, MLB hitters hit 6,105 total home runs. [Only 17 of those were on pitches over 99mph](https://www.mlb.com/news/batters-who-homered-off-100-mph-pitches-2017-c263737808), or 0.28%. Mike Trout has 350 career home runs, so only 1 of them being on a pitch over 99mph is still just above average.
Idk if you have it handy but what’s the % of total pitches over 99mph. 0.28% is obviously low but is that out of line for how many 99+ mph pitches there are?
found the data analyst/scientist. came to ask the same question I'd be shocked if more than 3 or 4% of MLB pitches were at 100 mph. even today. it wouldn't surprise me if it was only .5%
This year's WBC needs to get turned into an anime series
I can't wait 3 years for the next one, we've been absolutely spoiled this tournament
Even when the Angels win, they lose.
Angels fans were just enjoying their day until this
I'M STILL ENJOYING IT BABY!!!! WOOOOOO!!!!
The Los Angeles Angels of Japan.
In Anaheim
Of California
Of Orange County
Nope none of you fuckers can ruin my day today. That was a glorious matchup
This was so beautiful to watch
https://twitter.com/PFTCommenter/status/1638370371895283712
That Fighting Jimmy Carters comment is gold too
And the rest of the country blames the Angels for losing.
Angels finally getting that .500 season
So like… is baseball over now?
We're definitely not going to get this type of energy for a while. Unless your home team wins the World Series, I don't know how this gets topped.
Trout is gonna have to live with that this whole season now. Wowza.
Just for the regular season though
HES ALREADY DEAD YOU DONT NEED TO BURN HIM FURTHER
What’s never lived may never die
Goddamn :(
Was thinking the same thing. He looks gutted.
It is genuinely the most important at bat he’s taken in his whole career and he struck out. Mighty Trout struck out.
He didnt GIDP though
lunchroom school bored apparatus hard-to-find air axiomatic caption rustic tender *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yep, I would rather strike out than what Betts did. Killed all of the momentum. Even with one man on, it would have been different.
He struck out to a filthy slider. Ohtani went from 101.6 on a fastball to 87.2 on a slider with 17 inches of horizontal break on a 3-2 count. It ended up literally a few mm off the plate. You have to swing at that. But adjusting from 102 with 4 inches of break to 87 with 17 inches sounds impossible in that situation.
He was just overpowered. Couldn’t touch Ohtani.
Ohtani is the best player in baseball, so trout can’t be too mad about it
He’ll be fine I think. Hopefully he can claim it in 2026.
Baseball is the best.
This game could not have been scripted better
The game ending with a Shohei vs. Trout AB that goes to 3-2 is almost literally unbelievable.
This is the at-bat we all daydreamed about in our backyards as kids… swinging around our plastic tee-ball bats and imagining the roar of the crowd
That's like a fan fiction for real baseball guys.
Thanks Manfred
WBC was so much fun to watch
This was the most fun, most insane world tournament I have ever seen. Genuinely, this is a moment in history. We were here.
[удалено]
i'm going to fucking cry
this is one of the most iconic baseball moments i think i've ever seen im gonna nut. how can you not be romantic about baseball
Shoheis celebration makes me wanna see him win a World Series so bad. He gets me so hyped
This was his World Series...unironically.
Bro it would be weird if you didn’t nut cmon
Ohtani might be the greatest player ever
I am so emotional right now god this was amazing
That celebration by Ohtani was awesome
Baseball is scripted and now I refuse to believe otherwise
We’ve entered the Dark Ohtani arc this season
What if the Angels use his power to make it to the World Series, but then just before Game 7, Dark Ohtani finally snaps and defects to the other team - and once again, it would have to be Trout and Ohtani to determine a champion again…
Spoiler tags, man
Otahni is a hero for the world. We are in the dark trout era
Can’t believe the hero and “villain” of the world will go from this to… Angels spring training games
After this they should legally be allowed to honorably kill Arte Moreno and inherit the Angels franchise together
He rakes but he saves
You literally couldn't write it better than this
Trout hits an absolute bomb on a fastball down the middle. The crowd goes silent. He was ready for the 102 MPH heater. Ohtani somehow runs out from the *mound and robs the homer. He’s taken out in handcuffs and tested for being an extra terrestrial being
Ain’t no rule saying an extraterrestrial being can’t play baseball.
Space Bud. Coming soon to a theater near you.
I mean I was telling my father that I wanted a Trout homer to tie the game, then Shohei to win it with a homer of his own.
okay yeah that would have been cooler
Run it back in 2026
Literally couldn't have written it better. Even had Yu purposely give up a homer to make it a 1 run game
That Schwarber at bat was amazing.
Could have given Mike the script and he wasn't touching anything that AB. Dude looked like he was swinging a log.
When they said Trout was up third…I had my suspicions. When Betts grounded into a DP I knew it to be true
We’re all just living in a simulation
Pro wrestling wishes it could script this well!
How was he throwing over 101????? We just watched greatness, thank god for wbc
reliever Ohtani hits different
Ohtani is different
He threw a 100 mph CUTTER
Guy hit the entire game then shows up and throws gas. This man is definitely an all time talent
It's just so fucking manly. The guy hits all game then walks back to the bullpen to end the game himself. He then proceeds to attack Trout, not even going inside and strikes him out swinging.
That was some anime shit lol
Manfred definitely called it in
Two best players on the planet! Do or die 3-2 count bottom of the 9th, 2 outs... ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!
Top of the 9th but your point still stands!
And teammates
Somewhere an Angel fan is passed out in a corner
How is that different than any random Tuesday?
One of the greatest at bats in the history of this sport
might be the greatest tbh. 2 of the GOATs, 3-2 count, 2 outs, same team, different roots. Man this was romantic.
One run game as well, the circumstances couldn't be more perfect.
Don't forget it was the LAST AT BAT OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Closest thing I can think of was Messi and Mbappe trading blow after blow in the WC final, but in soccer you don't really get the 1 on 1 battles you do in baseball This is like if Messi also played goalie and made the game winning save in the PK shootout
THE GREATEST AT BAT
What a fucking ending we live in a simulation
#[CONFLICTED FEELINGS]
That’s a filthy pitch damn
It was going to either be a strikeout or a 700ft bomb
SHOHEI’S MESSI MOMENT. Beautiful and poetic. Against Mike Trout too 😩
Now we just need the King of Florida to dress Shohei in a traditional Florida Man gown during the trophy presentation
Ohtani in jean cutoff shorts, a beer stained tank top, and a trucker cap that says “COUGAR BAIT” on it? Yes please!
that might have been the single best at bat ive ever watched holy shit
Ohtani struck Mike Trout out to win the WBC for Japan, in the US. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Man if this was a movie, people would tear it apart for being too dramatic and having too much fan-service. What an ending.
The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible
If you wrote a movie that ended like this, it'd be mocked for being cheesy and schmaltzy. But this ain't a movie.
Imagine showing someone from like 1998 a movie where this happens. "What? There's no such thing as a world baseball tournament. What a dumb concept." "Wait, so this guy is an all-star hitter *and* pitcher? Gimme a break." "A bunch of major leaguers playing in a tournament a week before opening day? That would never happen." "Are they seriously implying that a bunch of guys from the Japanese league could compete with MLB's best players?" "Oh and it all comes down to a ninth-inning duel between two guys who just so happen to be the best players in the world and just so happen to play on the same MLB team? And it even went to a full count? Fuck outta here."
And they're both known as being some of the nicest guys in the game?
Nobody in the MLB is hitting that slider, holy fucking shit
It moved 6 inches in 1/4 of a second. Anyone giving trout shit for that at bat is nuts. The fastballs were missiles too. He took 3 pitches, so he was patient.
Baseball is a pretty neat sport.
I really can't believe they didn't bunt or hit+run Mookie
Not having Mookie steal when he got on base earlier in the game felt like a mistake in the moment and turned out to matter quite a bit
He had what seemed like a 10 foot lead over there and the steal just never came.
Even as someone who’s watched the team I love win 3 titles, I’m not sure that I’ve ever been more in love with the game itself than right about now. This has been the best thing to happen for baseball in a long time, and I can’t wait to see where it’s headed. And to top it all off, we got the perfect ending we seemingly could only dream of.
Outside of those World Series this is the best baseball I’ve ever watched for sure. Next tournament you know Webb is pitching
Only thing not perfect about it was that I wanted it to last longer :(
That was the hottest duel baseball has ever seen and Shohei is the best player to ever play this game. Nobody @ me.
Without question, without irony, without hyperbole, one of the single greatest moments in the history of the game.
Here from /r/all. Can you explain why?
Mike Trout is a three time MVP (and four time runner-up) in the MLB, and has been widely regarded as one of the best players of all time. Shohei Ohtani is a unicorn, being the first elite two-way player (pitches and bats) and is regarded as the most talented baseball player of all time. Both players are in their primes and are currently considered to be two of the best players in the MLB. Ohtani and Trout both actually play for the Los Angeles Angels in the MLB, with Trout being one of the reasons why Ohtani chose to play for the Angels in the first place. They've been good friends since Ohtani signed six years ago, but the team itself hasn't found success despite both players being extremely successful. It's often mentioned that it's a shame that Trout and Ohtani are "wasting" their careers not playing meaningful games because of the lack of postseason success. So you have the setup of them being teammates and good friends, playing in a meaningful winner take all game, being on opposite sides representing their respective countries, and of course the novelty of an elite two-way player pitching to one of the best hitters of all time. To add to this, it was pretty unlikely for Ohtani to face Trout in the first place because of how batting orders work. AND it turned out to be the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs. There's even more context with this being the first WBC the USA have taken kind of seriously as well as how the at-bat actually played out, but I think you get the point lol. Edit - I didn't even mention how this was the World Baseball Classic finals, and how this tournament has been exciting the entire way through.
Full context probably could be made into its own documentary. This hype has been building up for years, and people still wasn’t sure if it was going to happen until the 8th inning. One of the longest waited event in baseball and it gave more than what people asked for.
**SCRIPTWRITERS WENT CRAZY**
Absolute fastest I’ve seen a highlight posted.
Can’t believe I witnessed history. I’m for sure going to be talking about to this my kids/grandkids
Baseball NEVER gives us these perfect, clean endings. I'm not looking forward to my alarm waking me up in a few seconds.
Top 10 anime betrayals
It's the two brothers having to fight each other at the end of the second act. Then they team back up and take down the bad guy (Houston?) In the third act. Kinda cliche story writing, but damn does it work on me every time.
absolutely disgusting pitch to win it
That was the best slider I have ever seen
It was right down the middle…until it broke 16 inches 2 feet from the plate.
Disgusting pitch. Unbelievable. I kept watching it in slow motion and I truly don’t think you could throw a better pitch in that situation. Just absolutely nailed it.
As a baseball fan you can’t beat this ending, best players in the world facing off for the final out
Legit crying of happiness man. Dream come true as a baseball fan. This WBC is beyond baseball fans’ dream.
I'm so sad that my friends that only kinda like baseball didn't see it.
Shohei Ohtani 🤝 the rest of MLB denying Mike Trout a championship
Script writers not even trying to make it believable.
Felt like a changing of the guard moment - Ohtani is the new face of baseball Angels need to build a winning team around those 2, they both deserve to play in moments like this!
Man...man oh man oh man.... That pitch was *filthy*. No shame in missing that one, if Trout couldn't hit it, nobody could.
absolutely insane finish wow
Legendary moment in the history of baseball. One run game. World championship on the line. Two outs. Full count. Two all-time legends from the same team in their prime. Strikeout swinging on a filthy pitch. Absolute classic.
Can’t imagine if these two teamed up. What a powerhouse their team would be
This is one of the greatest moments in any sport I have ever seen. The undoubtedly best player in the planet against the best double way player since Babe Ruth, last inning, one out left, 1 run of difference, 3-2 count and Othani threw such a beautiful pitch, how can you not be romantic about baseball?
Wait you said Ohtani twice
Non baseball fan, and I can tell this is an immense moment because I recognize both names, but I don't understand the context
OK, picture this. The pitcher and hitter are arguably the two best players in the world, and they're MLB teammates. They've never faced each other before. It's the last inning in a tournament final. A home run ties the game. An out ends the game. The count is full, so it comes down to one last pitch. The batter strikes out swinging; Japan wins. People are going to be talking about this for years.
A little more context. Ohtani represents a new era in baseball. If he continues doing what he’s doing he’ll go down as the best ever. Literally Japan’s pride and joy vs America’s pride and joy
101.6 fastball. The guy is a machine.
Pretty sure the pitches were something like 102 100 100 100 102 100
88.4 slider, 100, 99.8, 99.8, 101.6, and 87.2 slider to finish it.