*This content was translated by AI.
Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers), the top star of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), is committed to hitting while giving up throwing as a pitcher at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament.
Citing LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' remarks, MLB.com reported on the 1st (Korea time), "Otani decided not to pitch at the WBC tournament."
With the 2026 WBC tournament about a month away, Ohtani is not expected to be on the mound. It will be used only as a batter.
According to reports, Roberts said at the plague event, "Although he does not pitch in WBC, he will keep the starting rotation throughout the regular season toward the Dodgers' third consecutive World Series."
Ohtani said at the event, "I had a great offseason. The good thing is that I didn't get any injuries, he said. "I'm very healthy at the moment. I think it's a relief. The only variable is the WBC tournament. So I finished preparing for the offseason a little early," he said.
MLB.com said, "In both 2024 and 2025, the Dodgers played the opening series of the regular season overseas and then the World Series. The club has allowed players to participate in the WBC. However, he said, "I didn't want Ohtani to play as a pitcher in the Japanese national team so that he could perform at his best in both pitching and hitting in the big league."
Ohtani showed the end of the pitching and hitting double on the WBC in 2023. Above all, he struck out Mike Trout (LA Angels), his teammate at the time, in the final against the United States, and roared as a pitcher.
In the 2023 WBC tournament, Ohtani pitched in three games as a pitcher, marking a 2-1 save with a 0.72 ERA. In addition, he played in seven games as a batter, hitting a batting average of 0.435 (10 hits in 23 at-bats) with one homer, eight RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.345 (on-base plus slugging percentage).
It is said that this decision was entirely reflective of Ohtani's intention. Roberts said, "It was his judgment for sure," adding, "It wasn't surprising." But it wasn't a relief. Considering what Ohtani went through last season and the process of doing his best to make a double play this season, I believe this is the right decision," he said, supporting Ohtani.
In addition, MLB.com said, "Yamamoto Yoshinobu is also a member of the Japanese national team and participates in WBC. Will Smith will be the catcher for the U.S. national team. Will be teammates with Clayton Kershaw, who recently announced his retirement. "Kim Hye-sung will play for the Korean national team," he added.
When asked about Ohtani's pitching and hitting jobs after the recent announcement of the national team's roster (29 out of 30), Japanese national team coach Hirokazu 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. If he had faced Ohtani as a starting pitcher, he would have faced a difficult situation. This is a positive development for South Korea.
Meanwhile, Ohtani was only committed to hitting the next year, 2024, due to elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John Surgery) he underwent in 2023. He wrote a new history of 50 home runs and 50 steals for the first time in the major leagues in the 2024 season. In 159 games, he played a batting average of 0.310 (197 hits in 636 at-bats), 54 home runs, 38 doubles, seven triples, 134 runs with 130 RBIs, 162 strikeouts with 81 walks, a on-base percentage of 0.390 (4 failures), a slugging percentage of 0.646 and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.066. He ranked second in home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS in the National League.
In the 2025 season, he played in 158 games with a batting average of 0.282, 55 home runs, 102 RBIs, 20 steals, and 1.014 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). He hit the mark of 50 home runs and 100 RBIs for two consecutive seasons. In addition, he proudly ranked No. 1 in the National League scoring category, No. 1 in the OPS, and No. 2 in the home run category. In particular, in June, he returned as a pitcher and resumed pitching and hitting. In the end, he took the mound in 14 games in the 2025 season as a pitcher, marking a 1-1 record and 2.87 ERA.
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*This content was translated by AI.
