Dave Roberts says Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for Team Japan in WBC
Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for Team Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including the California Post) at Saturday’s fanfest event. Roberts said Ohtani called and the Dodgers would have supported him if he had chosen to pitch for Japan. (WBC pool play is scheduled to begin March 4.)
It’s worth noting that Roberts’ comments came shortly after Ohtani painted a different picture of his status as a pitcher. Ohtani told reporters he remains undecided, reserving judgment until he begins to ramp up his efforts in the coming weeks.
Ohtani is still expected to be on Team Japan as the designated hitter, with Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the staff ace.
“Wearing a Japanese uniform again fills me with a deep sense of pride and responsibility,” Yamamoto said in a statement released by the Japanese team. “I have trained hard this offseason to be in the best possible condition for the WBC. Together, with great teammates and a reliable coaching staff, we will come together and aim for the top.”
The Dodgers’ other Japanese star, right-hander Roki Sasaki, was not named to the Japanese team’s roster. Sasaki had an uneven rookie season in MLB, including an extended absence due to injury. However, he managed to play a relief role during the playoffs.
Ohtani, 31, is coming off an eventful season that saw him hit .282/.392/.622 (179 OPS+) with 55 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He collected 6.6 wins above replacement as a single hitter. He also returned to the mound following elbow surgery. In 14 regular season starts, he compiled a 2.87 ERA (145 ERA+) and a 6.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions as a pitcher were worth about 1.1 wins above replacement, according to calculations hosted on Baseball Reference.
