Dodgers Shohei Ohtani to play for Japan in WBC, | College News
Shohei Ohtani will once again symbolize Team Japan in next yr’s World Baseball Classic.
Whether or not he pitches in the worldwide event, however, stays unclear.
On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he’s planning to take part in the WBC for the second time in his profession.
In the 2023 WBC, he gained event MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, serving to Japan to that yr’s title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the ultimate out in the championship sport.
“I’m happy to play again representing Japan,” Ohtani wrote in Japanese on Monday.
The query now is whether or not Ohtani will pitch in the event, which takes place in March, just 5 months eliminated from his heavy postseason workload during the Dodgers’ run to a second-consecutive World Series title.
At this level, no choice on that entrance has seemingly been made.
After spending the first half of the 2025 season restricted only to designated hitting duties while finishing his recovery from a 2023 Tommy John process, the 31-year-old Ohtani resumed his two-way position over the second half, making 14 pitching begins for the Dodgers from June to September while growing his workload one inning at a time.
By the postseason, he was totally constructed up for full-length begins, and went on to throw 20⅓ innings over 4 playoff outings — including a 2⅓ inning look on shortened three days’ relaxation in Game 7 of the World Series.
Oftentimes, pitchers who are that closely taxed during a deep playoff run will contemplate sitting out a WBC the next yr because of the early ramp-up required to throw in the event takes place during spring training.
However, the WBC is of supreme significance in the Japanese baseball group; more vital even than the World Series. And Ohtani is the face of the county’s iconic Samurai Japan national staff, which might be attempting to win its fourth WBC title.
Shohei Ohtani celebrates with his teammates after hanging out Mike Trout to secure Japan’s World Baseball Classic championship win over the United States in 2023.
(Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)
Ohtani is anticipated to hit in the event, coming off a career-high 55-homer season that helped him earn a third-consecutive MVP Award and the fourth of his MLB profession.
But there stays no indication about whether or not he’ll pitch, nor if such a choice has been made between him and the Dodgers (who can’t block Ohtani from taking part in the event, but may request he either not pitch or comply with strict usage guidelines given he missed the first half of last season on the mound).
It is unlikely that choice might be made until nearer to the event.
The Dodgers’ two other Japanese pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, face a comparable dynamic main into next yr’s WBC.
Yamamoto made 30 begins in the 2025 common season, the most of his MLB or Japanese profession, then threw 37⅓ more innings in six outings during the playoffs — including his heroic back-to-back victories in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.
Sasaki missed most of his rookie MLB season with a shoulder injury, but returned late in the yr and turned the staff’s de facto nearer in the playoffs. Next yr, he’s slated to return to the beginning rotation.
Like Ohtani, they’re both key cogs in the Dodgers’ 2026 pitching plans, which, as supervisor Dave Roberts alluded to during a promotional tour in Japan last week, may make the WBC one thing of a potential complication.
“We’ll support them,” Roberts told the Japanese media. “But I do think that the pitching, it’s a lot on the body, the arm. The rest will be beneficial for next year, for our season. But we understand how important the WBC is for these individual players and for the country of Japan.”
The Dodgers may select to block Sasaki’s participation in the WBC, since he spent a lot of last yr on the 60-day injured listing, but haven’t yet given any indication about whether or not they would do so.
The membership can’t do the same with Yamamoto, but may still attempt advocating for him to be used more conservatively in the event coming off his particularly burdensome October efficiency.
For now, at least, what is understood is that Ohtani will take part in some capability.
But whether or not he, or his Japanese Dodgers teammates, will pitch in the event will stay a subplot as the offseason progresses.
Stay up to date with the latest news in school basketball! Our web site is your go-to source for cutting-edge school basketball news, sport highlights, participant stats, and insights into upcoming matchups. We present daily updates to guarantee you may have access to the freshest info on staff rankings, sport outcomes, injury stories, and major bulletins.
Explore how these trends are shaping the future of the game! Visit us commonly for the most partaking and informative school basketball content by clicking right here. Our rigorously curated articles will keep you informed on event brackets, convention championships, teaching modifications, and historic moments on the court.
