"The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were among those named to Team Japan by manager Hirokazu Ibata on Monday at a news conference in Tokyo. Ohtani previously announced his intention to participate in the WBC in November, and Yamamoto was expected to take part despite a heavy workload in the Dodgers' run to a second straight World Series championship. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki, who will be returning to the starting rotation after missing most of last year's regular season because of a shoulder injury,"
"In the 2023 WBC, Ohtani won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to the title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game. Eight major leaguers were named to Team Japan's WBC roster, including the Angels left-hander Yusei Kukuchi, Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui, Blue Jays infielder Kazuma Okamoto, White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, currently a free agent who pitched for the Baltimore Orioles last year."
Japan's World Baseball Classic roster includes Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with Ohtani earlier indicating he would participate and Yamamoto expected despite a heavy Dodgers workload. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki, who missed most of last season due to a shoulder injury and is returning to the starting rotation, was not selected. Ohtani's decision on whether he will pitch in the WBC remains undecided and will be clarified when he reports to spring training. Eight major-leaguers are on the roster. MLB players are expected for exhibition games on March 2, and Japan opens WBC play March 6 against Taiwan.
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