*This content was translated by AI.
The Japanese national team's "Samurai Japan," which aims to win the 2026 WBC (World Baseball Classic) in March for the second consecutive time, has confirmed the final list and has completed preparations for its full-fledged appearance. In particular, there are local reports that major league veteran left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (34), is being mentioned as a strong starting pitcher for Korea-Japan match, drawing keen attention. Some predicted that Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) would have played against Korea if he could take the mound as a pitcher.
Japan's Nikkan Sports predicted Kikuchi as the starting pitcher for the second game against South Korea at Tokyo Dome on March 7 in an article predicting the Japanese national team's rotation in the first round of the WBC. At the same time, the match against Taiwan on the 6th, Japan's first WBC game, was viewed as Yamamoto Yoshinobu (28, LA Dodgers).
Nikkan Sports said, "Yamamoto will take the revenge for losing to Taiwan to Premier 12. And the next game is against Korea. Some say that Japan is advantageous because it has won 10 consecutive games, but left-handed hitters who are good, including Kim Hye-sung (27, LA Dodgers) and Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants), are deployed one after another. Therefore, Kikuchi will be the leading candidate," he added.
Earlier on January 26, the Asahi Shimbun expected Tomoyuki Sugano (37, former Baltimore Orioles, now independent) to take the mound against Korea and Kikuchi against Australia on March 8. However, Nikkan Sports made a slightly different prediction.
Nikkan Sports said, "Sugano is likely to take the mound against Australia. Sugano, a veteran pitcher, can play with Australian batters. Since he played in the major leagues in the 2025 season, completing his adjustment to pitch clock and official ball will be a big plus factor. Domestic pitchers are expected to play against the Czech Republic, the last group qualifying match, with Nippon Ham Fighters ace Ito Hiromi. "Because there is a limit on the number of 65 pitches, I think I will use all the players playing in Japan," he said.
In fact, Japan seems to be focusing on the Taiwan match rather than the Korean match. The prevailing public opinion is that Taiwan should take revenge because it was the opponent who knelt in the Premier 12 final in 2024. It is highly likely that Yamamoto, the most powerful card, will be consumed first, given additional rest, and then taken the mound again in the second round tournament in the U.S.
In the end, Ohtani's abandonment of the pitcher also seems to have had some impact. Nikkan Sports also added, "Since Dodgers manager Dave Roberts denied the possibility of using Ohtani as a pitcher, Ohtani will not take the mound against Korea."
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*This content was translated by AI.
