The World Baseball Classic is quickly approaching. The tournament is entering its sixth edition and has already delivered countless unforgettable moments, with many more surely to come when it returns March 5 through March 17.
Top 10 Moments in WBC History
10. Martin Mužík’s historic homer vs. China (2023) – Ordinarily, a comeback win in pool play among the bottom 2 squads would not rank this high. But for Czechia, this was history.
Playing in its first World Baseball Classic game, Czechia trailed China entering the ninth inning before rallying for four runs. The defining swing came from Martin Mužík, who launched a go-ahead three-run homer to cap the comeback and secure Czechia’s first WBC victory.
The blast was significant beyond the result. Mužík became the first player in tournament history to hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning while his team was trailing — a milestone moment for a program making its debut on the sport’s biggest international stage.
9. Samurai Japan captures the inaugural WBC title (2006) – When the first WBC began in 2006, many predicted the United States, the Dominican Republic or Venezuela — all stacked with MLB stars — would hoist the trophy.
Instead, the championship game featured Japan and Cuba, with just two combined MLB players on their rosters.
Japan seized control early, building a 6-1 lead. Cuba rallied to trim the deficit to 6-5 in the eighth inning, but Japan answered emphatically with four runs in the ninth to secure a 10-6 victory. The win crowned Japan as the first World Baseball Classic champion and set the tone for its dominance in the tournament’s early years.
8. Nelson Cruz flips the script vs. U.S. (2017) – Few pool-play games in WBC history have matched the intensity of the 2017 showdown between the United States and the Dominican Republic in Miami.
The U.S. surged to a 5-0 lead, but the Dominican lineup chipped away with three runs across the sixth and seventh innings. Trailing 5-3 in the eighth, Cruz stepped in against elite left-hander Andrew Miller with two runners aboard.
Cruz delivered one of the most clutch swings in tournament history, blasting a three-run homer to give the Dominican Republic a 6-5 lead. The Dominicans added an insurance run and held on for a 7-5 victory in an electric atmosphere.
7. David Wright sends U.S. to its first semifinal (2009) – The United States endured a humbling 11-1 mercy-rule loss to Puerto Rico earlier in the second round in 2009. That set up a high-stakes elimination rematch with a semifinal berth on the line.
Puerto Rico led 5-3 and was two outs away from advancing. The U.S. rallied, loading the bases before Kevin Youkilis drew a walk to cut the deficit to 5-4.
With two outs and the bases still loaded, Wright stepped to the plate against reliever Fernando Cabrera. He lined a two-run single down the right-field line, scoring two and sending the U.S. to its first WBC semifinal in dramatic walk-off fashion. It remains one of the defining early moments in USA Baseball’s WBC history.
6. Netherlands shocks the Dominican Republic (2009) – The Dominican Republic entered the 2009 tournament as one of the favorites and opened play in San Juan against the Netherlands. In a stunning result, the Dutch claimed a 3-2 victory.
The teams met again in an elimination game, and the upset somehow became even more improbable.
Right-hander Tom Stuifbergen, who had never pitched above rookie ball, started for the Netherlands and matched Dominican pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez through four innings. A Dutch bullpen composed of minor leaguers and Honkbal Hoofdklasse pitchers then combined to allow just one hit over the next five innings, forcing extra innings in a scoreless tie.
The Dominican Republic finally broke through in the 11th on an RBI triple by José Bautista to take a 1-0 lead and move within three outs of survival.
But the Netherlands refused to fold. After a leadoff double and an RBI single by Eugene Kingsale, a throwing error by Carlos Mármol helped extend the inning. Yurendell DeCaster then beat out a ground ball to complete a stunning walk-off win.
With no active MLB position players and only two active MLB pitchers on the roster, the Dutch eliminated a Caribbean powerhouse in what remains the greatest upset in WBC history.
5. Adam Jones robs Manny Machado (2017) – By 2017, the United States had never reached a WBC final and faced mounting pressure to deliver.
In a pivotal second-round matchup against the Dominican Republic in San Diego, the U.S. held a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning when Machado drove a deep fly ball to center field.
Jones timed his leap perfectly at the wall, reaching above the fence to rob a home run in one of the most iconic defensive plays in tournament history. The moment energized the crowd and symbolized a turning point for Team USA.
The United States went on to win 6-3 and eventually captured its first WBC championship.
4. Ichiro Suzuki delivers in the 2009 final – Japan returned to the championship game in 2009 seeking to defend its title, facing rival South Korea in a tightly contested final.
Japan carried a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning, but South Korea tied the game to force extra innings against closer Yu Darvish.
In the 10th inning, with two outs and two runners on, Ichiro delivered. The Japanese star lined a go-ahead, two-run single that broke the tie and gave Japan a 5-3 lead. Darvish secured the final outs in the bottom half, sealing Japan’s second consecutive WBC championship in one of the tournament’s most memorable games.
3. Trea Turner’s grand slam vs. Venezuela (2023) – The 2023 quarterfinal between the United States and Venezuela in Miami instantly became a classic.
Venezuela held a 7-5 lead after seven innings and appeared poised to eliminate the defending Olympic champions. The U.S. loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth, setting the stage for Turner.
On an 0-2 pitch, Turner crushed a grand slam into the left-field seats, flipping a two-run deficit into a 9-7 lead. The U.S. bullpen held on, sending Team USA to the semifinals in one of the most dramatic swings in WBC history.
2. Munetaka Murakami walks it off vs. Mexico (2023) – Mexico’s run to the 2023 semifinals was unexpected, and it nearly ended Japan’s title hopes.
After trailing most of the night, Japan entered the ninth inning down 5-4. A leadoff double by Shohei Ohtani and a walk put two runners on base for Murakami, who had struggled throughout the tournament.
In the biggest moment of his career, Murakami drove a ball off the left-center-field wall for a walk-off, two-run double. Japan never led until that swing, clinching a 6-5 victory and advancing to the final in unforgettable fashion.
1. Shohei Ohtani strikes out Mike Trout to win WBC (2023) – It felt scripted.
Japan led the United States by one run in the ninth inning of the 2023 final. With two outs, Ohtani — pitching in relief — faced Trout, his Los Angeles Angels teammate at the time.
The matchup was everything the tournament could have hoped for: two generational stars, a full count, the championship hanging in the balance.
Ohtani’s final pitch induced a swing and miss, striking out Trout and securing Japan’s third WBC championship. No other nation has won more than one title. The showdown instantly became the defining image of the World Baseball Classic — a moment that has been also one of the defining moments of baseball this decade.
Photo: FILE – Japan’s Shohei Ohtani, center, celebrates with teammates after defeating the United States in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
