Shohei Ohtani did what Shohei Ohtani does.
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The Japanese superstar crushed a leadoff home run Saturday night in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, instantly electrifying the crowd at LoanDepot Park. It looked like another Ohtani moment in another big game.
Instead, it turned into Venezuela's night.
(Getty)
Venezuela rallied past defending champion Japan for an 8-5 victory, punching its ticket to the WBC semifinals for the first time and locking up a spot in the 2028 Olympic baseball tournament in Los Angeles.
"It was the kind of game where we had chances to win... We showed what we do well, but in the end, they overpowered us," Ohtani said, via Yahoo Sports.
In other words, it was a historic night.
Ohtani tied the game with his blast in the first inning, and Japan briefly seized control when Shota Morishita launched a three-run homer in the third to give them a 5-2 lead.
Then the Venezuelan lineup flipped the script.
Ronald Acuña Jr. started the scoring with a leadoff homer of his own. Maikel Garcia added a two-run shot in the fifth. And Wilyer Abreu delivered the biggest swing of the night, hammering a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth that sent the pro-Venezuela crowd into a frenzy.
From there, Venezuela's bullpen slammed the door.
Six relievers combined for 6?..." scoreless innings to shut down Japan's offense. Ohtani was intentionally walked once and struck out twice before flying out to end the game in the ninth.
"All I can say is that it's really frustrating," Ohtani said. "It was the kind of game where we had chances to win. It wasn't like we were completely overwhelmed from start to finish. I think there were definitely moments where we had opportunities to win."
Three years earlier, Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to win the WBC title.
This time, Venezuela got the last word.
With the win, Venezuela advances to face Italy in Monday's semifinal and officially secures its place in the Olympic baseball tournament for the first time.
"We're a world power," manager Omar López said.
