ANAHEIM -- The last time Shohei Ohtani pitched against Mike Trout, there was a title on the line.

With Samurai Japan on the cusp of winning the 2023 World Baseball Classic over Team USA, the stage was set for an electric matchup between two of the game's biggest superstars. Ohtani on the mound for the save. Trout at the plate as his team's final out.

After working a full count, Trout swung through a sweeper, and Ohtani skipped off the mound, victorious.

“I think as a baseball [fan], everybody wanted to see it,” Trout said afterward . “He won round one.”

It took more than two years for a rematch to take place, because after the Classic, Ohtani and Trout returned to the Angels and shared a clubhouse for the sixth season. After leaving for the Dodgers in free agency, Ohtani was exclus

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