The 2023 World Baseball Classic has reached its final game as Japan will take on the defending WBC Champions, the United States of America on Tuesday, March 21. These are two teams that were expected to make it this far, as both rosters are filled with MLB talent. This should be a great game to watch, and we are here to break down the United States vs. Japan odds for the WBC championship game.
Japan is coming off a big comeback against Mexico in the semifinals, in which it scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5 and advance to its third WBC Championship game — its first since 2009 when it won the tournament.
Meanwhile, the United States responded to its emotional win over Venezuela in the quarterfinals with a drubbing of Cuba to advance to its second-straight WBC Championship.
While both teams are loaded with MLB players, the United States is more recognizable to baseball fans as its entire lineup is filled with the game’s top players. However, Japan may have the best baseball player on the planet right now Shohei Ohtani, and it also has a few other players that are and will be MLB players.
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United States vs. Japan Odds
Here are the odds for tonight’s game via FanDuel Sportsbook. The rest of the nation’s top sports betting apps also have odds available.
United States vs. Japan, 7 p.m. ET (TV: FS1)
Moneyline: United States (-132) | Japan (+108)
Runline: United States +1.5 (+120) | Japan +1.5 (-148)
Total: Over 10.5 runs (-106) | Under 10.5 runs (-114)
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How To Watch United States vs. Japan
Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023
First Pitch: 7 p.m. ET
Location: LoanDepot Park — Miami, Fla.
How to Watch: FS1
How They Got Here
Japan
One of the best WBC games of all time took place last night, and with a ninth-inning rally, Japan has made it back to the WBC championship game, where it looks to knock off the defending champions and win its third WBC Championship. The talented trio of Ohtani, Masataka Yoshida, and Munetaka Murakami capped the ninth-inning rally against Mexico.
Japan is undefeated in the 2023 WBC and dominated both aspects of the game as its lineup has clearly proven to be on par with the United States, but the pitching separates Japan from the rest of the field. With players like Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and many others, including tonight’s starter, Shota Imanaga, the U.S. lineup will have a tough time, especially with this game being an ‘all-hands on deck’ affair.
Offensively, Japan is as well-balanced a lineup as you can get. If Japan can jump out to an early lead, which is entirely possible considering the United States’ pitching is worrisome, it would be in a good spot to win it all.
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United States
You want to talk about a loaded lineup?
The United States has some of the world’s best offensive baseball players, including the likes of Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado, Trea Turner, Will Smith, Pete Alonso, and many others. Simply put, that lineup can compete with anyone, no matter how bad the pitching for the Americans has been.
By the way, the pitching has not been great, and it is a genuine concern entering this game.
Merrill Kelly will get the start for the United States tonight, but unless he puts up a dominating performance, we probably will not see much of him tonight. In his lone appearance in the WBC, Kelly tossed three innings and gave up two earned runs, two walks, and four hits.
This will be a busy day in the bullpen for manager Mark DeRosa’s squad, so we might see him send the cavalry with Lance Lynn, Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, Brady Singer, and every other starter on the roster if needed.
This team is built on offense, more specifically in the power department. The long ball has carried the United States off the brink of elimination a few times this tournament, and the Americans may need it again tonight against Japan’s pitching staff.
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United States vs. Japan Prediction
The 2023 World Baseball Classic has been precisely what baseball fans have needed during this long off-season. Although the MLB season will start next week, watching the game’s best play in a tournament has been a pleasure. The two best teams in the world are meeting up in Miami tonight to determine the WBC champion.
This game will come down to which unit breaks down first; Team USA’s lineup or Japan’s pitching? While Japan has a good enough offense to counteract a potential dud from the rotation, it is a tall order to outscore the United States.
While it has the more recognizable players, Team USA’s pitching staff has been a problem during the entire tournament, and if the lineup fails, it has no shot at winning tonight. This feels like a coin flip, but by playing the odds on which team has which strength and who has the most of it, we have to take the value on Japan’s moneyline odds.
Pick: Japan ML (+108)
Article contributed by DJ Corrigan
