That was something.

Shi Davidi on the World Baseball Classic:

Even before the dream final pitting Japan against the United States and the dream ending of Shohei Ohtani versus Mike Trout with two out in the ninth, this was already the best World Baseball Classic ever.

High drama at nearly every turn. Pandemonium in the stands. Passion and patriotism from many of the sport’s best players. Epic moments like Trea Turner’s eighth-inning grand slam against Venezuela. Like Mexico’s three-run rally in the seventh inning to best Puerto Rico. And like Munetaka Murakami’s two-run, walk-off double to carry Japan past Mexico.

Then, as if all that wasn’t good enough, came the two best players of this generation, Los Angeles Angels teammates, squaring off for the title, Ohtani throwing two challenge fastballs at 100 m.p.h. down the heart of the plate before pulling a string to get a third swinging strike from Trout, in as classic a confrontation as any sport can generate.