2024 MLB World Series International-Born Player Spotlight Recap

The 2024 Major League Baseball World Series and the 120^th year of the Fall Classic provided certain international-born players success to finish off the 2024 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobou Yamamoto and two-way player sensation Shohei Ohtani are the first players from Japan to win the World Baseball Classic and World Series in the history of the sport.

Ohtani won the World Baseball Classic MVP in 2023 with Japan and was selected twice to the All-World Baseball Classic Team for being a pitcher and a designated hitter.

Ohtani played in seven games in the 2023 WBC, hitting .435 with 23 at-bats, nine runs scored, ten hits, four doubles, one home run, eight RBI, one stolen base, ten walks, and six strikeouts. He appeared in three games with two starts, going 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA, recording one save, throwing 9.2 innings, allowing five this, two earned runs, two walks, and 11 strikeouts.

Yamamoto went 1-0 with Japan at the 2023 WBC with a 2.45 ERA in two appearances and one start, throwing 7.1 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs, two walks, and 12 strikeouts.

Yamamoto has also won the 2019 Premier12 tournament, the 2022 Japan Series, and the 2020 Olympics while playing on the international stage.

The other four Japanese-born players who have won a Japan Series, World Series, and World Baseball Classic are Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007 and Koji Uehara in 2013 with the Boston Red Sox. Munenori Kawasaki received a ring in 2016 with the Chicago Cubs since being on the 40-man roster, and Norichika Aoki received a ring in 2017 with the Houston Astros since being on the 40-man roster.

Yamamoto, 26, was born in Bizen, Japan, and played seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball before signing with the Dodgers on December 27, 2023, for a 12-year, $325 million contract, which allows him to opt out after the 2031 and 2033 World Series if he has Tommy John surgery or is on the injured list for a right elbow injury for 134 consecutive service days from 2024-29.

Yamamoto’s annual salary will be $5 million in 2024, $10 million in 2025, $12 million in 2026, $26 million in 2027–2029, $29 million in 2030–2031, and $28 million in 2032–2035 during his time in Chavez Ravine.

The Dodgers had to pay a $50.625 million posting fee to the Orix Buffaloes last offseason for the organization to acquire Yamamoto.

Yamamoto’s contract is the largest for a pitcher in baseball history and is tied with Corey Seager’s for the fourth-largest contract in MLB history.

Yamamoto’s career in Japan spanned seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes and had a lifetime record of 75-29 between the big-league club and their farm team. He posted a 1.82 ERA in 172 appearances, throwing 14 complete games and eight shutouts while rifling 897 innings, allowing 633 hits, 181 earned runs, 36 home runs, 206 walks, 922 strikeouts, and a 0.935 WHIP.

Before Yamamoto went to the MLB, he won the Japan Series in 2022, was a five-time NPB All-Star in 2018, 2019, and from 2021-23, a three-time Japanese Triple Crown from 2021-23, a three-time Pacific League MVP from 2021-23, three-time Eiji Sawamura Award from 2021-23, a three-time Best Nine Award from 2021-23, three-time Pacific League Golden Glove Award from 2021-23, four-time Pacific League ERA champion in 2019 and from 2021-23, four-time Pacific League strikeout champion from 2020-23, and a three-time Pacific League wins champion from 2021-23.

Yamamoto helped the Japan national team win three gold medals at the 2020 Olympics, the 2019 Premier12 tournament, and the 2023 World Baseball Classic before heading to the United States.

Yamamoto was transferred from the 15-day injured list on July 13 to the 60-day injured list with triceps tightness and was not activated until September 10 before returning to the Dodgers rotation.

Yamamoto made two starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City when he began his rehab assignment on August 28.

He posted a 0-1 record with a 6.75 ERA in two starts, throwing four innings, allowing three hits, three earned runs, one home run, two walks, and five strikeouts before returning to Chavez Ravine.

Yamamoto made four starts in September and posted a 1-0 record with a 3.38 ERA, throwing 16 innings, allowing 16 hits, six earned runs, one home run, five walks, and 21 strikeouts before helping the Dodgers win their 23^rd National League West Division title.

In the 2024 postseason, Yamamoto went 2-0 in his four starts, posting a 3.86 ERA. He pitched 18.2 innings, allowing 12 hits, eight earned runs, three home runs, six walks, and 15 strikeouts.

Ohtani, 30, was born in Oshu, Japan, and has played seven seasons in the MLB with the Los Angeles Angels from 2018-23 before signing with the Dodgers on December 11, 2023, for a 10-year, $700 million contract and the largest in professional sports history. Ohtani’s wages on his contract were structured at $68 million per season, and he deferred until after the deal’s conclusion, which he would be able to be paid out from 2034-43.

In his first year in Chavez Ravine, Ohtani played in 159 games, hitting .390 as the designated hitter with 731 plate appearances, smacking 197 hits, 38 doubles, seven trips, 54 home runs, 130 RBI, swiping 59 bases, four caught stealing attempts, 81 walks, 162 strikeouts, and a 1.036 OPS.

Ohtani went 50-50 during the 2024 regular season with 50 plus home runs and stolen bases, which made him the first MLB player to ever accomplish that feat in his All-Star season.

During his first crack of the postseason, Ohtani played in 16 games with 76 plate appearances, batted .230 with 1`4 hits, one double, three home runs, 10 RBI, 0 stolen bases, two caught stealing attempts, 13 walks, and 22 strikeouts.

Ohtani in his first-six seasons in Anaheim played in 701 games with 2,871 plate appearances, batting .274, ripping 681 hits, 129 doubles, 29 triples, 171 home runs, 437 RBI, 86 stolen bases, 33 caught stealing attempts, 351 walks, 755 strikeouts, and a .922 OPS.

Ohtani is a four-time All-Star from 2021-24, won the American League MVP twice in 2021 and 2023, won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2018, won the Silver Slugger Award in 2021 and 2023, won the AL Hank Aaron Award in 2023, led the league in home runs from 2023-24, and led the NL in RBI during 2024 prior to winning his first World Series championship.

Ohtani played in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013-17 prior to coming to the United States and was selected as a five-time NPB All-Star from 2013-17, won Japan Series in 2016, won the Pacific League MVP in 2016, won the Pacific League Pitcher Best Nine twice from 2015-16, won the Designated Hitter Best Nine in 2016, and led Pacific League in earned-run average in 2015.

Ohtani in his five seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and their minor league team played in 414 games, hitting .284 with 1,180 plate appearances, 297 hits, 71 doubles, four triples, 48 home runs, 166 RBI, 13 stolen bases, four caught stealing attempts, 119 walks, 319 strikeouts, and a .854 OPS before heading to Southern California.

Ohtani and New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge were the first players to meet in the World Series that led the AL and NL in home runs since the 1956 World Series with former Brooklyn Dodgers center fielder Duke Snider with 43 and Mickey Mantle with 52. Judge had 58 home runs to end the 2024 regular season before he helped the Bronx Bombers win their 41^st AL pennant.

Cuban third baseman Miguel Vargas became the first player in MLB history to win a World Series ring, while playing for a 121-loss team. Vargas was traded to the Chicago White Sox from the Dodgers on July 29 with shortstop Alexander Albertus, shortstop Jeral Perez and a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Southside for right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech. To finish the three-team trade, the White Sox traded right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde, outfielder Tommy Pham and cash considerations to the St. Louis Cardinals, in result for the Red Birds to trade shortstop Tommy Edman and right-handed pitcher Oliver Gonzalez to the Dodgers.

Between the Dodgers and the White Sox in the 2024 regular season, Vargas played in 72 games with 237 plate appearances, hitting .150, smacking 31 hits, seven doubles, five home runs 16 RBI, three stolen bases, 25 walks, 57 strikeouts, and a .506 OPS.

There have been two people named Will Smith that won the World Series for five consecutive years with Dodgers catcher Will Smith winning in 2020 and 2024 relief pitcher Will Smith with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, the Houston Astros in 2022, and the Texas Rangers in 2023.

Fifty-two year old Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was born in Naha, Japan and is the only Japanese to ever manage in the MLB and win multiple World Series titles in his managerial career.

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