WBC

Fan Teaser: Week 176 Solution

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Blown away!

While possible, it’s highly unlikely the conclusion of the 2026 World Baseball Classic can rival the finish of 2023’s installment.

Team Japan (the home team) led Team USA, 3-2, with two outs and the bases empty in the top of the ninth inning when American Mike Trout strode to the plate.

On the mound for Japan was none other than Trout’s then-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim teammate Shohei Ohtani.

What ensued came directly from central casting.

  • Pitch 1 – 88 mph slider for a ball
  • Pitch 2 – 100 mph fastball for a swinging strike
  • Pitch 3 – 100 mph fastball for a ball
  • Pitch 4 – 100 mph fastball for a swinging strike
  • Pitch 5 – 100 mph fastball in the dirt for a ball
  • Pitch 6 – 87 mph slider for a swinging strike

Ball game! Tournament! Teammates again tomorrow!

Team Japan pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, celebrates after fanning Team USA’s Mike Trout to clinch the 2023 World Baseball Classic Championship for the Japanese. Japan’s catcher Yuhei Nakamura also celebrates. (Photo from Getty Images/Samurai Japan)
The FOX Sports telecast feed of Shohei Ohtani’s strikeout of then-Angels’ teammate Mike Trout to clinch the 2023 WBC Championship for Japan.

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

Conversations with Sports Fans – Jee-ho Yoo

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Jee-ho and I at Milano Ice Skating Arena.

I’m delighted to be rejoined by someone I’m pleased to call a friend, Jee-ho Yoo.

Jee-ho’s an English-language sports writer for South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency who, fresh off three weeks in Milan covering the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, now finds himself stationed in Tokyo for Pool C play of the World Baseball Classic where he’ll be writing about the Korean team’s bid to qualify for the knockout round for the first time in 17 years.

I first became familiar with Jee-ho thanks to another former Conversations’ guest, Andrew Chong (Season 2, Episode 14) from Sports-Reference LLC. Andrew pointed me in the direction of Jee-ho for more knowledge about the Korean Baseball Organization as I prepped for my upcoming trip to Korea and Japan as part of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project.

Jee-ho joined me for the first time a little over a year ago in Season 4, Episode 7. Following that Conversation, we had a brief meet-up while I was in Seoul watching the Doosan Bears and LG Twins play (Event No. 16). We connected again (as the photo above indicates) in the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the recently completed Winter Olympics.

Separately, I might have even more excited than Jee-ho was when I spotted him in this MLB video about baseball in South Korea. It’s a 10-minute view well worth your time:-)