Since its inception in 2006, the World Baseball Classic has grown exponentially in popularity. In 2023, one of the most viral moments in baseball was Shohei Ohtani pitching to former teammate Mike Trout in the 2023 WBC championship. Who are the best WBC teams ever? Let’s break down the top five.
In 2013, the Dominican Republic won the World Baseball Classic. This roster was led by the two head monsters of Edwin Encarnación and Robinson Canó. Over the entirety of the WBC, Canó hit for a staggering .469 average. Canó was awarded the WBC MVP award. Additionally, Encarnación led the Dominican Republic to a 3-0 win in the final, hitting a two-run RBI double in the first inning. In the semi-finals and finals, the Dominican Republic only gave up one run behind the arms of Edinson Vólquez and Samuel Deduno.
Going into the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the USA team was considered massive favorites to win the title. Although Team USA came up short in the WBC finals, their roster deserves recognition. Pitching against Team USA’s lineup was a near-impossible task. The batting lineup was led by Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Kyle Schwarber, Trae Turner, J.T. Realmuto, and Bobby Whitt Jr. One could argue the weakest part of Team USA’s roster was their pitching, having veterans past their prime like Clayton Kershaw make the roster. Although Team USA eventually came up short in the final against Japan, this one was one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
In the first-ever World Baseball Classic team, Japan took home the championship trophy. The leader of this team was none other than Japanese legend Ichiro Suzuki. Batting .364 throughout the tournament, Suzuki was the catalyst of the Japanese offense. In the final, against Cuba, Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched four complete innings, conceding only one run. Matsuzaka had a 1.38 ERA over the 2006 WBC and was the most reliable pitcher for the Japanese team.
In 2017, Team USA won the World Baseball Classic. Although the team was not as star-studded as the 2023 WBC team, their performances were more dominant. The three best players in the WBC for Team USA were Eric Hosmer, Christian Yelich, and Marcus Stroman. Stroman made three starts for Team USA, boasting an impressive 2.35 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. In the final, Stroman pitched a gem of a game. In the first six innings of the game, Stroman gave up zero hits, leading Team USA to an 8-0 victory over Puerto Rico.
The 2023 Japanese World Baseball Classic team was electric to watch during their championship run. Offensively, the Japanese team was led by the best player in the world, Shohei Ohtani. However, the most dominant part of the Japanese team was their pitching arsenal. Shōto Imanaga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yu Darvish, and Shohei Ohtani were all dominant during this 2023 championship run. Overall, this 2023 Japanese team was immensely talented but maybe the most impressive thing about the team was that they were able to take down the USA.
