Il Otani Sets Up Batter and Conducts 59th Ward Live Pitching "Possibility of Ranking? I don't have any at the moment" [the Miami scene]

*This content was translated by AI.

Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers), who is only dedicated as a "batter" in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), suddenly turned into a pitcher in Miami, the land of the showdown, and took the mound. He threw nearly 60 pitches, but he drew the line that he is not scheduled to play in the WBC finals at the moment. It looked like a build-up to the LA Dodgers schedule.

The Japanese national baseball team, led by coach Hirokazu Ibata (51), held its first official training session at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 13th (Korea Standard Time). Japan, which landed first in Group C after winning all four games in the first round of the Tokyo Dome, was the first to hit the ground ahead of Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and South Korea, where training was scheduled.

The highlight of the training was Ohtani's "pitcher training" scene. Ohtani, who took the mound in the middle of his teammates' batting training, played a total of 59 live pitching against four batters himself. After a long rehabilitation after elbow surgery in September 2023, he returned as a pitcher in June last year and led the Dodgers to the World Series championship, which unfolded again under the Miami sky. In the 2026 season, Ohtani is preparing for a full-fledged pitching season.

In this WBC, Ohtani has actually declared that he will not take the mound as a pitcher. Nevertheless, the reason why he pushed ahead with pitching in practice lies in his "thorough management schedule." As he has to continue his pitching and hitting in the regular season of the Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 2026 season, it is interpreted that he played the pitcher build-up schedule that he made at the Dodgers spring camp before joining the national team during training for the national team.

Ohtani, who held an official press conference after training, once again drew the line on the possibility of taking the mound at this tournament. "We don't have any plans at this time," he said. I think that's a promise with the club, and I think it's a courtesy to the Dodgers who were willing to let me go."

However, the possibility of taking an emergency mound was open by any chance/ Ohtani said, "I will not conclude that it is 100% zero because I don't know what will happen, such as injuries," leaving only the possibility of playing as a "firefighter" in case of an emergency situation for the team.

Ohtani was determined, although he may be disappointed in the pitcher's failure to take the mound. He said, "I'm fully convinced. Even if I don't throw it, it's an opportunity to show the world that there are many good young pitchers in Japan, so I'm also looking forward to it," he said, expressing faith in his teammates.

Japan will play against Venezuela, ranked second in Group D, at 10 a.m. on the 15th in Korean time. It is said to be the first face-off in WBC history. After preheating by spraying 59 pitches on the mound, the world is now paying attention to what kind of firepower Ohtani will show at bat.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.