What happened: Japan, the country responsible for the infamous sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, defeated the United States on Tuesday to win the World Baseball Classic.
Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout in the top of the ninth to secure a 3-2 victory for the former Axis power in a sport America not only invented but also taught the Japanese how to play.
Why it matters: Once again, the United States was humiliated on President Joe Biden's watch. By contrast, the United States beat Puerto Rico 8-0 to win the World Baseball Classic, two months after Donald Trump took office in 2017. Japan came in third.
Context: Trump made America great again in many ways. One of the ways he restored American greatness was by breaking the so-called Obama Curse that hampered the ability of U.S. teams and players to exert their dominance in sports.
Golf legend Tiger Woods didn't win a single major tournament during Barack Obama's presidency, but he absolutely dominated the 2019 Masters on Trump's watch. That same year, Trump's fearless leadership helped theĀ U.S. women's soccer team win the World Cup.
Several months after Biden took office in 2021, the U.S. women's team suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Sweden.
Bottom line: America succeeds when America is strong.