Shohei Ohtani threw the final pitch of the last World Baseball Classic.
With a chance to win the championship, Japan brought Ohtani out of the bullpen.
And with two strikes and two outs against Mike Trout, Ohtani threw it past his then-Angels teammates.
Ballgame, and a celebration for Japan.
That set up a lot of hype for what could be to come in 2026 at the next WBC.
And Ohtani will be there.
It was announced Monday that Ohtani will play for Japan in 2026.
Shohei Ohtani shares that he will represent Japan again in the upcoming World Baseball Classic! 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/raYBM2mHwv
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 25, 2025
It's huge news for Japan.
They'll still have to figure out what the usage is for Ohtani. His two-way player aspect is tricky to figure out when the tournament is in March.
But it's a good problem to have for Japan. Having Ohtani is a huge deal, obviously.
He's the best player on the planet, a guy that there has never been anyone else like. He has won the World Series in each of his two years with the Dodgers.
Now, he'll try to hoist his next repeat trophy with Japan.
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