"Given that they were teammates for 6 years and have arguably been the best player in baseball at any given time, this moment was something all baseball fans were hoping for in 2023. The scene was set in the 9th inning of the 2023 World Baseball Classic game where Japan held a one-run lead. Ohtani came in relief and Mike Trout stepped into the batter's box. Three strikes later, Ohtani struck him out to lock in another WBC Championship for Japan."
"Dodgers Nation reported from Dodgerfest that Ohtani and the Dodgers have agreed that he will not pitch in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic to help preserve his arm and give him the opportunity to enter the 2026 Dodgers season 100% healthy for the first time during his contract with the Dodgers. Still, when asked about the hypothetical late-game scenario involving Trout, Ohtani didn't completely shut the door on the opportunity."
"It wasn't an official declaration. It wasn't a promise. It's just typical Shohei Ohtani teasing the media a bit in a calm, competitive and completely aware of the situation. The Dodgers are coming off back to back world series championship runs with trips to Seoul, Korea, Tokyo, Japan and gruelling 7 game series versus the Toronto Blue Jays. The organization is carefully managing Shohei's workload because the expectation is to make a deep run into the playoffs again this year."
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers agreed that he will not pitch in the 2026 World Baseball Classic to preserve his arm and enter the 2026 Dodgers season fully healthy. He joked that he might still enter in a late-inning matchup if Mike Trout came to the plate. Ohtani struck out Trout to clinch the 2023 WBC for Japan in a famous ninth-inning moment. The Dodgers are managing Ohtani's workload after consecutive deep postseason runs and international travel. Preventing WBC pitching participation reduces exposure to high-intensity, high-leverage March innings and protects playoff readiness.
Read at Dodgers Nation
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