Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in World Baseball Classic for Japan

"Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March, Roberts told reporters during Saturday's annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium. The manager added it was Ohtani's decision and the Dodgers would have allowed him to do so if he had wanted to. Ohtani said in November he would participate in the WBC but did not signal at the time whether he would pitch."

"In the 2023 WBC, Ohtani won tournament most valuable player with a .435 batting average and 1.86 ERA, helping Japan to the title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game. But five months later, Ohtani was pulled from a home start against the Cincinnati Reds for what ultimately was revealed to be a torn UCL."

Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March. The decision was Ohtani's and the Dodgers would have allowed him to pitch if he had wanted to. Ohtani had earlier indicated he would participate in the WBC but did not confirm whether he would pitch. Ohtani remains undecided about pitching and will base the choice on how he feels while ramping up in the next few weeks. Ohtani won 2023 WBC MVP, suffered a torn UCL five months later, underwent a second Tommy John surgery, and returned to pitching last June. Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are expected for March 2 exhibition games; Japan opens WBC play March 6 against Taiwan.

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