Shohei Ohtanis grand slam gets Japan roaring in | College News
The last time Shohei Ohtani was seen carrying a World Baseball Classic uniform with “Japan” across his chest, he was putting out Mike Trout of the United States on a ninth-inning, full-count slider to give his nation a victory in the championship sport three years in the past.
So a lot has occurred in Ohtani’s life between then and now. He has a spouse and a daughter, a new interpreter, a new Major League workforce, two World Series championships and three more Most Valuable Player awards.
Yet unforgettable WBC reminiscences continue. This time, he delivered from the batter’s box instead of the pitcher’s mound.
In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few toes over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.
“I thought it might land as an out, so above all, I really wanted to get the first run on the board,” Ohtani told reporters afterward.
Ohtani led off the sport with a double and singled in his second at-bat of the second inning, when Japan put up a WBC-record 10 runs. He added a run-scoring single in the third inning, giving him 5 runs batted in.
In 2023, Ohtani hit and pitched Japan to the WBC title, batting .435 with eight RBIs and permitting only two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the mound. This 12 months, he’ll only bat, saving his pitching for the Dodgers, who start their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in three weeks.
Japan’s beginning pitcher Friday was a adorned Dodger nonetheless. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MVP of the 2025 World Series, threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, strolling three and putting out two while giving up no hits.
His command wasn’t pinpoint — he threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes — but it’s still spring training, even though the environment was electric for Japanese gamers competing in entrance of a crowd of 42,314 that included actor Timothy Chalamet and famous person Bad Bunny.
“I know there will be some tough battles ahead, but if the fans and the team can unite and everyone can help build the excitement together, it will really encourage us,” Ohtani said.
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