Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in World Baseball Classic for Japan
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts answered a key question ahead of spring training.
Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March, Roberts told reporters at Saturday’s annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium. The manager added that it was Ohtani’s decision and that the Dodgers would have allowed him to do it if he wanted to.
Ohtani said in November that he would compete in the WBC but did not indicate at the time whether he would throw. When the Japanese team’s roster was announced Monday, manager Hirokazu Ibata wouldn’t say whether Ohtani would pitch, saying only that they would have a better idea during spring training.
And on Saturday, Ohtani – who spoke to reporters before Roberts – said he still didn’t know if he would throw in the WBC and that it would depend on how he felt as he started throwing over the next few weeks. Coming into the season, he was expected to be able to throw unrestricted from the start for the Dodgers.
In the 2023 WBC, Ohtani won the tournament’s most valuable player title with a .435 batting average and 1.86 ERA, helping Japan win the title. He punctuated the event with his memorable takedown of then-Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the championship game. But five months later, Ohtani was pulled from a home start against the Cincinnati Reds for what ultimately turned out to be a torn UCL.
Ohtani underwent his second career Tommy John surgery in September and did not return to pitching until last June with the Dodgers.
MLB players like Ohtani and teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto are expected to join the Japanese team for exhibition games on March 2. Japan will open WBC play on March 6 against Taiwan.
