"Wearing a Japanese uniform once again fills me with a deep sense of pride and responsibility,"
"I've trained hard this offseason to be in the best possible condition for the WBC. Together, with great teammates and a dependable coaching staff, we'll unite as one and aim for the top."
Samurai Japan announced its roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, featuring Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani previously confirmed his return to Team Japan for the tournament. Yamamoto’s availability had been uncertain after a career-high 211 combined innings across 36 appearances (35 starts) in the regular season and playoffs and pitching on consecutive days in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series. Yamamoto said wearing the Japanese uniform fills him with pride and that he trained hard in the offseason to be in the best condition for the WBC. He allowed two runs over 7.1 innings with 12 strikeouts in the 2023 WBC. Ohtani and Yamamoto are expected to join exhibition games against the Chunichi Dragons on Feb. 27–28. Team Japan is in Pool C, begins play March 6, and will defend its 2023 title. Roki Sasaki was not included after missing significant 2025 time with a right shoulder injury, and reports indicated the Dodgers prevented his participation; Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged reservations.
Read at Dodger Blue
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]