Dodgers reiterated "WBC pitcher abandonment" toward Ohtani, "It's absolutely not the club's meaning → player's own decision."

*This content was translated by AI.

While the Japanese national team's "key player" Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) will not be able to be seen on the mound at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, his team, the LA Dodgers, reiterated that there was no involvement by the club in the decision.

LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in interviews with local media such as CBS Sports and USA Today on the 1st that Ohtani will not take the mound as a WBC pitcher, strongly expressing that this was entirely the player's will.

Roberts said at the meeting, "The club has never instructed Ohtani not to pitch or put pressure on him," adding, "This decision is 100% based on Ohtani's own judgment and decision (It was 100% his decision)."

The Dodgers' repeated emphasis on "innocence" is due to Ohtani's symbolism. It seems that the club was wary of the possibility of being criticized by Japanese fans as well as baseball fans around the world if criticism arose that the club blocked the performance of "Idolryu" Ohtani for the national team. In fact, from the club's point of view, they have to be conservative in recruiting pitchers for international competitions. Although there is a limit on the number of pitches, there are always concerns about shoulder or elbow loads.

Roberts added, "If Ohtani had indicated that he wanted to take the mound, our club would have supported his decision and helped prepare accordingly," adding, "But he decided himself that it was right to focus only on hitters in this tournament for the perfect digestion of the Dodgers' starting rotation in the 2026 season."

Ohtani also said, "I was very aware of the fans' expectations, so I thought about pitching until the end. But my big responsibility is to take the mound healthy throughout the 2026 season. "From a cold perspective, I thought it would be best to contribute 100% to the team as a batter rather than overdoing it now," he said.

Ohtani then said, "The Dodgers always asked me about my opinion, and this time they trusted and supported my decision. "Thanks to the consideration of the club, we created an environment where we could only focus on the tournament," he said, directly dismissing the club's pressure theory raised by some.

In fact, Ohtani returned to the mound in the 2025 season after his second elbow surgery in 2023 and has gradually increased his pitching innings. As a person, he is at an important crossroads where he has to complete the entire season as a full-time pitcher for the first time since this season's surgery. In the end, the cold judgment that the international competition in March could be a risk to returning to the regular season seems to have led to the decision to give up the pitcher. Ohtani went 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 games as a pitcher in the 2025 season. He pitched just 47 innings. In other words, the average is about three ⅓ per game.

Local media, including Major League Baseball's official website MLB.com , said, "The Dodgers respected Ohtani's decision. At the same time, he wrote, "I feel relieved to be able to protect Ohtani's health, which is a key asset of the team."

Nevertheless, Ohtani is expected to play only as the center hitter of the "Samurai Japan" in this WBC and hunt for the second consecutive championship. Although Ohtani cannot be seen on the mound, baseball fans around the world are paying attention to the firepower that Ohtani, who is only devoted to at-bats, will show at WBC.

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*This content was translated by AI.