The World Baseball Classic has now entered its final day.
It all comes down to a championship matchup between the United States and Team Japan.
These two teams have a history of playing each other in the WBC, but this is the first time they will square off in the championship game.
They first met back in 2006, the first time the Classic was ever played.
In that matchup, Team USA came out on top, with New York Yankees slugger and legend Alex Rodriguez picking up a walk-off single to eliminate Japan.
On Twitter, MLB Vault posted a highlight of the moment when Rodriguez came through for Team USA.
Team USA and Team Japan have history facing off in the #WorldBaseballClassic.
The first time they met in 2006, USA came out on top on an @AROD walk-off single. pic.twitter.com/bF2EGut1E6
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) March 21, 2023
17 years later, Japan and the United States will square off again.
This time, the stakes are higher, as it is the championship round.
We’ll have a chance to see Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani compete against one another for the first time.
But these two squads have a rich history with each other.
And their journeys to the championship game have been quite special.
Team USA found themselves six outs away from elimination in the quarterfinals against Venezuela.
But Trea Turner‘s grand slam saved them and led them to the semifinals, where they would defeat Cuba to advance to the final.
Japan has been on fire since the beginning and pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback on Monday to advance.
Rodriguez will not be there to settle the score tonight, but it should be an exciting game.
NEXT: The MLB World Will Witness A Legendary Matchup Tuesday
