Minutes before Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani took the field in the World Baseball Classic final for the United States and Japan, respectively, the Major League Baseball team that employs both stars caught a serious stray.
As good as Trout and Ohtani both are, the Los Angeles Angels haven’t enjoyed a lot of success with them. The Angels have only reached the postseason once in Trout’s career and never in Ohtani’s. In fact, Los Angeles hasn’t even enjoyed a winning season with both Trout and Ohtani on the roster.
And prior to Tuesday’s final, Fox’s Alex Rodriguez couldn’t help but note the team’s lack of success with the two transcendent players.
As the two teams walked onto the field, with Trout and Ohtani bearing the flags of their respective nations, Rodriguez said, “Finally, an Angel will be a world champion tonight, one way or another.”
"Finally an Angel will be a world champion after tonight, one way or another."- A-Rod #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/ibZ8CtSE0K
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 21, 2023
This drew varied responses.
Some people, of course, were quick to jump to the defense of the Angels, noting their 2002 championship.
Well, there was 2002 …
— Jim_Alexander (@Jim_Alexander) March 21, 2023
Did the Angels go on probation and lose 2002 title? 😜 https://t.co/6M0lXQOqYy
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) March 21, 2023
The 2002 Anaheim @Angels, who were 27 games better than ARod's Rangers, wave hello with their rings on their hands. https://t.co/uRtihPBmVz
— Doug Taylor (@TrulyDougTaylor) March 21, 2023
Russ Ortiz was today years old when he learned that game ball Dusty handed him during Game 6 of the 2002 World Series has some actual value. https://t.co/QnfoGj4OJ6
— A.J. Perez (@byajperez) March 21, 2023
Yet when the Angels won that championship, Trout was 11 and Ohtani was 8.
Knowing how long it’s been since the Halos reigned atop the MLB world, several other people found the truth in A-Rod’s commentary.
All time quote from A-Rod https://t.co/3WUEdfiT6T
— Lost Tribe Sports (@LostTribeSports) March 21, 2023
https://t.co/ijOjoXqT33 pic.twitter.com/Uc66CNNFWl
— Matt Johnson (@VivaMattyVegas) March 21, 2023
I haven’t seen ARod wreck the Angels this badly since 2009. https://t.co/2UCQXeQz8R
— Ben K. (@bkabak) March 21, 2023
show me the lie https://t.co/NoKLA7dYZP
— Austin Green (@AustinGreen44) March 21, 2023
The World Baseball Classic has come under fire in 2023, due largely to the injuries to star players. Yet, the crowds tell us that people do care about these games. For fans of baseball, it has been great to see Trout and Ohtani playing in such an environment.
