Samurai Japan continued its preparations for the 2026 World Baseball Classic with a two-game set at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya against the Chunichi Dragons, coming away with 5-3 and 7-3 wins, respectively, on February 27 and 28.
Japan played two exhibition games earlier in the week against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, splitting the set with a 13-3 victory and a 4-0 loss. They will now travel to Osaka for their final tune-ups against the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes at Kyocera Dome before heading to Tokyo for Pool C play against Chinese Taipei, Korea, Australia, and Czechia.
Samurai Japan 5, Chunichi Dragons 3 (Game 1) – Hiroya Miyagi (Orix Buffaloes) started the opener and worked three shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out three on 55 pitches. Reigning Central League MVP Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers) set the tone early with a 431-foot three-run home run in the first inning off Yuya Yanagi, and Tai Sasaki, who joined the game as a non-roster support player, added a solo shot in the second to extend the lead to 4–0.
Atsuki Taneichi (Chiba Lotte Marines) followed with a clean inning, touching 97 mph, while Ryuhei Sotani (Orix Buffaloes) covered two frames but surrendered two runs. Yuki Matsumoto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks also logged a scoreless inning of relief. Non-roster player Daito Yamamoto added an RBI single in the seventh for Japan’s fifth run of the night.
In the ninth, Taisei (Yomiuri Giants) entered for the save but exited with two outs due to an apparent leg cramp. He is expected to be ready in time for the tournament.
Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons) warmed up in a hurry to record the final out against his own club, though he allowed an inherited runner to score. The final score was 5-3.
Samurai Japan 7, Chunichi Dragons 3 (Game 2) – Hiromi Itoh (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) started the second game, with the reigning Sawamura Award winner allowing two runs over three innings, including a home run to Rintaro Tsujimoto. Despite the damage, he looked prepared to handle a big role in the WBC.
Shugo Maki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars) opened the scoring for the Samurai with a solo home run off Yudai Ohno in the top of the first, and Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers) tacked on another long ball in the second inning.
Chihiro Sumida (Saitama Seibu Lions) followed Itoh with an inning of relief, allowing a solo shot to Seiya Hosokawa. Koki Kitayama (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) then worked two scoreless innings, and Shoma Fujihira (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles) added a scoreless frame with two strikeouts.
The top of the fifth proved to be the turning point, as Japan entered the inning trailing 3-2 but erupted for five runs against Mizuki Miura, highlighted by RBI singles from Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers) and Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima Carp). Japan went on to secure a 7-3 victory.
Beyond the games themselves, the main storyline was the participation of Major League Baseball players during pregame workouts. Though they did not appear in either game and their roster spots were filled by supporting players, Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki, and Masataka Yoshida put on an impressive display during batting practice. They are expected to make their long-anticipated game appearances during Japan’s upcoming exhibitions in Osaka.
“I want to make sure we’re ready to go after these next two games,” manager Hirokazu Ibata told Japanese reporters on Saturday.
Photo: Hirokazu Ibata walks in to the field of play during a practice session of the exhibition games prior to the Pool C games at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) at Kyocera Dome Osaka Sunday, March 1, 2026 in Osaka, western Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
