*This content was translated by AI.
The list of "enemies" Japanese baseball teams to meet with the Korean baseball team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament in March has been announced. It is a list of ultra-luxury national teams that South Korea cannot help but be wary of in the same group.
Japanese media, including TBS and Full Count, reported on the 26th that "Hirokazu Ibata (51), head coach of the Japanese national baseball team, announced 10 additional players for the Japanese national team to participate in the 2026 WBC tournament."
According to reports, Ibata held a press conference in downtown Tokyo, Japan, and announced 10 additional players to play on the WBC stage.
Currently, 29 out of 30 Japanese national teams have been confirmed, while the remaining one is reportedly delayed due to document procedures.
Four major leaguers were added first. Yamamoto Yoshinobu of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Okamoto Kazuma of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Murakami Munetaka of the Chicago White Sox were selected to play for the second consecutive tournament following the 2023 WBC. In addition, Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs, who was on the list at the 2023 WBC tournament but was dropped due to injury, was on board. Suzuki's return to the WBC is the first in nine years since the 2017 tournament.
Along with these four players, six more were selected to play on the NPB stage. Catcher Yuhei Nakamura, who worked with Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers) in the 2023 WBC final, joined the national team, along with pitchers with experience in international competitions such as Hiroya Miyagi (Orix Buffaloes) and Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons), who won the 2023 WBC championship.
As expected, the most notable name is the Dodgers ace, Yamamoto. Yamamoto played 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA in the 2025 season. He pitched a total of 30 games and played 173 ⅔ innings, striking out 201. Above all, he pitched the best in the fall baseball and put the Dodgers at the top of the World Series. He had a 5-1 record with a 1.45 ERA in seven games, including two complete games.
In particular, he became a winning pitcher with one run in six innings in Game 6 after winning a complete game with one run in nine innings in Game 2 of the World Series. Despite throwing 105 pitches the previous day, he took the mound in relief in Game 7 and pitched two scoreless innings in two ⅔. In the end, he was honored to win the World Series MVP with three wins.
Manager Ibata said of Yamamoto, "It must be the best pitcher in Japan. As the ace of the Japanese national team, I believe he will throw a pitch that brings victory to the team in every game he takes the mound," he said, expressing deep trust.
Four major leaguers, including four additional major leaguers, have already been confirmed to join the WBC national team. Starting with "MLB superstar" Ohtani, Yusei Kikuchi (LA Angels), Yuki Matsui (San Diego Padres), and Tomoyuki Sugano, who is currently a free agent (FA), were called by the WBC national team.
Asked about Ohtani's pitching and hitting combined, Ibata said, "The spring camp has not started yet. It's a matter to decide by looking at the pitching condition," he said, declining to say. Regarding Ohtani's batting order, he also smiled, saying, "I'm not thinking about anything other than placing him in the top lineup." Regarding the batting lineup combination, he said, "The most important thing is the flow," adding, "There are many players who can hit." I'm trying to find the easiest combination to score among them," he stressed. As for the timing of the major leaguers joining, he explained, "I think I will join from the practice game in Osaka on March 2nd."
The news of the Japanese national team is also of great interest to Korean baseball fans and officials. South Korea is determined to continue its baseball success with good results in the WBC finals in March. South Korea was in Group C along with Japan, Australia, Taiwan and the Czech Republic. Group C will be held at Tokyo Dome in Japan from March 5-10.
The Korean national team will play an exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers on March 2 and an exhibition game against the Orix Buffaloes on March 3. After two days off, he will play the first game against the Czech Republic at 7 p.m. on the 5th. After taking a day off, a match between Korea and Japan is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the 7th. After the match between Korea and Japan, they will have a match against Taiwan at noon on the 8th, the next day after taking a short break. In fact, it is expected that South Korea's advance to the second round will be determined in the match against Taiwan. And on the 9th, they will play the final round match against Australia at 7 p.m. With Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta Braves) and Song Sung-moon (San Diego Padres) confirmed to be absent due to injuries, Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) and Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers) are expected to lead the team as Korean major leaguers.
- Pitchers (15)
1. Yuki Matsui (31, San Diego Padres)
13. Hiroya Miyagi (25, Orix Buffaloes)
14. Ito Hiromi (29, Nippon Ham Fighters)
15. Taisei (27, Yomiuri Giants)
16. Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers)
17. Yusei Kikuchi (35, Los Angeles Angels)
18. Yamamoto Yoshinobu (28, LA Dodgers)
19. Tomoyuki Sugano (37, FA)
26. Taneichi Atsuki (28, Chiba Lotte Marines)
28. Hiroto Takahashi (24, Chunichi Dragons)
47. Ryuhei Sotani (26, Orix Buffaloes)
57. Koki Kitayama (27, Nippon Ham Fighters)
61. Tyra Kaima (27, Seibu Lions)
66. Matsumoto Yuki (30, Softbank Hawks)
69. Ishii Daichi (29, Hanshin Tigers)
-Catchers (3)
4. Kenya Wakatsuki (31, Orix Buffaloes)
12. Sakamoto Seishiro (33, Hanshin Tigers)
27. Yuhei Nakamura (36, Yakult Swallows)
-Infielders (7 players)
2. Maki Shugo (28, Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
3. Kozono Kaito (26, Hiroshima Toyokaf)
5. Taisei Makihara (34, Softbank Hawks)
6. Genda Sosuke (33, Seibu Lions)
7. Sato Teruaki (27, Hanshin Tigers)
25. Kazuma Okamoto (30, Toronto Blue Jays)
55. Murakami Munetaka (26, Chicago White Sox)
-Outfielder (four)
8. Kondo Kensuke (33, Softbank Hawks)
20. Shuto Ukyo (30, Softbank Hawks)
23. Shota Morishita (26, Hanshin Tigers)
51. Seiya Suzuki (32, Chicago Cubs)
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*This content was translated by AI.
