MLB

(Getty Images) Goliath vs. Goliath. Shohei Ohtani’s two-way dominance has already put him in the pantheon of all-time baseball greats — and he’s played just five MLB seasons. That, in turn, has sparked bar-top arguments over who is the greatest player ever.

(Getty) Teammates turned foes on Tuesday night when Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout — ever-presents in the Angels starting lineup — faced off under the lights. The stakes were, unsurprisingly, major: the ninth inning of the World Baseball Classic championship game.

(Riley Trujillo/SN) PHOENIX — Team USA, folks, is in serious trouble in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Mathematically, of course, it’s still fine. Even with the loss to Mexico on Sunday, if Team USA beats Canada and Colombia in its final two games, that should almost certainly be enough to advance out of Pool C, which is the goal.

Shohei Ohtani announced his intention to play for Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic last November, in an Instagram post that was well-received, to say the least. The question that immediately followed was this: How, exactly, would Japan use its unicorn as it attempts to win its third WBC title?

After a six-year hiatus, the World Baseball Classic is back. Rosters are stacked with elite talent from around the world, and the excitement and stakes seem higher than ever. It’s all building toward a tournament that should be quite entertaining.