Shohei Ohtani announced on Instagram that he will once again suit up for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
“Thank you to the fans for another great season,” Ohtani wrote. “I’ll try hard and look forward to seeing you all next year. Happy to play and represent Japan again.”
He is the first Japanese player in Major League Baseball who has officially committed to play at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Ohtani starred for Japan at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting a 1.345 OPS with one home run. On the mound, he threw 9 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA. In the tournament’s signature moment, he entered to pitch the ninth inning of the final against the United States with Japan leading 3-2 and struck out Mike Trout to clinch the nation’s third WBC title in a storybook ending for the 2 players that at the time were teammates. He was named tournament MVP after what was the greatest performance in WBC history.
He returns for the next edition as the game’s biggest star. Ohtani won the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 and has won back-to-back NL MVP awards. He is only the second player in MLB history to win four MVPs and is looking to add another WBC championship to his résumé.
In 2025, Ohtani hit .282/.392/.622 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs. He also returned to the mound after not pitching in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, finishing with a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings in a limited role. He helped lead the Dodgers to their second straight World Series title, hitting .265/.405/.691 with eight home runs and 14 RBIs in the postseason. His eight home runs are tied for the second most in a single postseason in MLB history. He made four playoff starts and posted a 4.43 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.
In Game 4 of the NLCS, Shohei’s two-way ability was on full display against the Brewers. He threw six innings of shutout ball with 10 strikeouts and hit three home runs and became the 13th player in MLB postseason history to hit three home runs in a game. He became the first pitcher to hit three home runs in a postseason game and first pitcher to hit a lead-off homer. He had 10 strikeouts and multiple homers in a game for the second time, and was the first player in MLB history to do so. It was arguably the greatest postseason performance in MLB history.
As the game’s greatest star, he will look to add another chapter to his legendary career when he puts on the Samurai Japan jersey in pursuit of another championship.
He has not yet publicly committed to pitching in the WBC but he will be their designated hitter and the leader of Japan’s offense.
Japan will pursue its fourth championship and will host Pool C at the Tokyo Dome from March 5–10. The team will be grouped with Australia, Korea, Taiwan and Czechia, and will open its title defense on March 6 against Taiwan. If Japan advances, it will face a team from Pool D in Miami in the quarterfinals.
Photo: Shohei Ohtani of Team Japan pitches in the top of the 1st inning during the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal between Italy and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 16, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)
