Shohei Ohtani ends World Baseball Classic just like in 2023, but as loser instead of champion

On Saturday night, baseball's best player jogged across the very same loanDepot park diamond to Japan’s bench after his infield popup sealed an 8-5 quarterfinal loss to Venezuela. He dejectedly detached his batting gloves, took off his helmet and headed down the dugout steps past shocked teammates who leaned on the railing and stared at the celebrating Venezuelans.

“I was really disappointed,” Ohtani said.

Japan, international baseball's preeminent power, had won 11 straight WBC games dating to a 2017 semifinal loss to the U.S. and had reached the semis in all five previous WBCs. It is the only nation to win two in a row, in 2006 and 2009. Japan also beat the U.S. in the gold medal game at the last Olympic baseball tournament when the Samurai Warriors hosted in 2021.

After Ronald Acuña Jr.’s stunning leadoff homer in the first off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani matched the feat by going deep starting the bottom half against Ranger Suárez.

Shota Morishita, who entered after Seiya Suzuki got hurt in the first inning, put Japan ahead 5-2 with a three-run homer in the third. It appeared a Monday semifinal against upstart Italy was likely to determine who would play the U.S. or the Dominican Republic for the title the following night.

But Chihiro Sumida gave up Maikel Garcia’s two-run homer in the fifth, sparking the Venezuelans in the first base dugout and fans in the crowd of 34,548 that largely favored the South Americans.

Then Hiromi Itoh allowed Wilyer Abreu’s three-run drive in the sixth that put La Vinotinto ahead 7-5, and Atsuki Taneichi’s wild pickoff throw in the eighth brought in another run.

Ohtani was intentionally walked ahead of Morishita's homer, but didn't come through in his final three plate appearances, striking out in the fourth and seventh innings before making the final out in a 1-2-3 ninth.

Japan had a solid foundation, bringing back about half its 2023 WBC roster.

Ohtani and Yamamoto last year helped the Los Angeles Dodgers become Major League Baseball's first repeat World Series champion in a quarter-century, with Ohtani earning a fourth MVP award and Yamamoto selected World Series MVP.

But Japan was without Roki Sasaki, the hard-throwing pitcher who remained with the Dodgers at spring training after an injury interrupted rookie season. And Ohtani was only a hitter and not a two-way star, being careful with his pitching arm after returning last year from a second major elbow operation.

Ohtani led Japanese batters with a .462 average, three homers and seven RBIs. But the Warriors finished with a .284 batting average, down from .299 three years ago, and a 3.35 ERA, up from a tournament-best 2.29.

“We didn’t have an option for Ohtani to pitch from the middle of the game,” Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata said.

“Of course, I would have wanted him," Ibata added, "but I didn’t have a choice.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb