Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are set to square off in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night.
The two are normally teammates on the Los Angeles Angels, but have been pitted against each other for the final game of the WBC.
It all comes down to a matchup between the United States and Team Japan.
Both teams are red-hot and have overcome adversity to reach this point.
However, only one can walk away victorious.
To make certain that Japan is the one that comes out on top, Ohtani has volunteered to pitch if needed against Team USA.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today provided an update on the situation on Twitter.
Shohei Ohtani delivers grand USA-Japan World Baseball Classic final, and yes, he says he will pitch if needed. https://t.co/yQpS9W4VCo
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 21, 2023
Ohtani will not be making the start for Japan.
Shota Imanaga will be starting instead.
But like the postseason, other options will be available if push comes to shove.
And if Japan finds themselves in desperate straits, they could simply turn to Ohtani and have him pitch a few innings to calm the tide.
This means that Ohtani could potentially go head-to-head with Trout when he’s at the plate, setting the stage for a duel between arguably the two best players in all of baseball.
That would certainly be fun to see.
Either way, the two of them will square off in the final game of this year’s World Baseball Classic.
Whether Ohtani pitches at any point or is left to rest his arm, the game should be full of excitement as Team USA aims to repeat and defend their title, while Japan attempts to dethrone them.
NEXT: Shohei Ohtani Is Clearly Enjoying Being On A Dominant Team
