“A country that plays really cool baseball”

Japan’s Samurai Japan (the name of the Japanese national team) first revealed 12 players who will participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) on the 6th (Korean time). Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Yu Darvish (San Diego), and Seiya Suzuki (Cubs) were named major leaguers, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix), Loki Sasaki (Chiba Lotte), and Munetaka Murakami (Yakult) were on the national team roster. included

Among the players on the Japanese national team roster that day, the one who received the most attention was, by far, Ohtani. Ohtani played in 155 games as a hitter in 2021 and had 138 hits, 46 homers, 100 RBIs, 103 points, 26 stolen bases, a batting average of 0.257 OPS of 0.965, and a 9-2 loss average of 3.18 in 23 games as a pitcher, and achieved a tremendous performance of the American League’Unanimous MVP ‘ I got the title.

His 2022 performance also never dropped in the 2021 season. Ohtani recorded 160 hits, 34 homers, 95 RBIs, 90 runs in 157 games as a hitter, a batting average of 0.273 OPS of 0.875, and a 15-9 ERA of 2.33 in 28 games as a pitcher. Ohtani did not win the MVP award for the second consecutive year due to being pushed out of the competition with Aaron Judge (Yankees), but it was clear that he played an active role that will remain in history for two consecutive seasons.

During the 2022 season, Ohtani was asked to compete in the WBC by coach Hideki Kuriyama, the “old teacher,” and wore the Japanese national team uniform eight years after the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12. According to Japan’s ‘Nikkan Sports’, Ohtani expressed his determination to “work hard with the goal of winning only with great players.”

At the press conference that day, Ohtani looked back at the 1st and 2nd WBC and thought of Korea. Ohtani is currently undecided in the WBC whether he will be on the mound as a pitcher or only as a hitter. If he starts as a pitcher, he might be a starter or a reliever pitcher. However, as the match against Korea in the group stage is scheduled for March 10th, it is inevitable to avoid the game in any way.

Ohtani said, “What impressed me most is the game 안전놀이터 against Korea. The image of that game is strong. At the time, I was playing baseball as a student, so I think it was the most enjoyable time.” I was thrilled just to see him face off against them. I will do my best to play well from that position.”

Ohtani faced South Korea once in the 2015 Premier12. At that time, Ohtani climbed the mound as a starting pitcher in the semi-final match against the Korean national team, and pitched a scoreless pitch, including 11 strikeouts in 7 innings. Based on Ohtani’s counterattack, Japan consistently overpowered Korea. However, Korea scored 4 points in the 9th attack and created a counter electrode,

Ohtani said, “I have the impression that there are many great players in Korea. First of all, I think that there are many great players in the world in any generation, both within Asia and globally.” I think it might be a country where top players can come out. A country that plays really cool baseball.”

First personal WBC. Ohtani promised that he would enjoy showing everything he was capable of. He said, “In a way, I’m looking forward to the game, and I don’t know if I enjoy it in the sense that I value the game that I can hardly enjoy, including the tension, unlike just the fun of playing, but I’ll make it possible to enjoy it in a different tension from playing baseball.” did. 안전놀이터