As expected, Yamamoto was selected for the quarterfinals. "There is no inning limit."→2nd pitcher undisclosed, all pitchers who can take the mound are on standby"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Japanese national baseball team, which is aiming to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the second consecutive time, took out the strongest card to win a ticket to the semifinals. Yamamoto Yoshinobu (28, LA Dodgers), who played in the match against Taiwan once, was announced as the starting pitcher.

The Japanese baseball team held an official press conference at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 13th (Korea Standard Time) along with official adaptation training. At the meeting, Japanese national team coach Hirokazu Ibata (51) said, "Yamamoto is the starting pitcher for the quarterfinals against Venezuela. I can't share the order of taking the mound after that, but I think we have to put in all the pitchers we have," he said, signaling an all-out war.

Yamamoto, who pitched well in two scoreless ⅔ in the first Group C match against Taiwan on the 6th, will now take the mound again as an ace who has carried his team's advance to the semifinals. Coach Ibata said, "As there is a limit on the number of pitches (within 80 pitches in the quarterfinals), I hope Yamamoto will throw as many balls as possible," adding, "We will not put an inning limit." After that, all the pitchers who can be used will be on standby," he said.

Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers), who was the biggest concern, drew a firm line on the pitching appearance. Manager Ibata clearly said, "Otani is only pitching training in preparation for the major league season, and he has no plans to take the mound as a pitcher at this tournament." On this day, Ohtani set up batters and pitched live, but this was part of the preparation process for starting pitchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Manager Ibata expressed confidence in the team's depth, saying, "We can run the game well enough with the pitching resources we currently have."

Venezuela, Japan's opponent, was pushed to second place in Group D by Dominica the previous day (12th), but it is a formidable opponent with an all-star lineup such as Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves). "We watched the match between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic and collected information," Ibata said. Blocking the opponent's top lineup and preventing the first batter from getting on base in each inning will be the key to winning and losing.

Venezuela's starting pitcher is likely to be left-hander Suarez (31, Boston Red Sox). Although no official announcement has been made yet, manager Ibata responded to the related question, saying, "The left and right corner walks are good pitchers. In particular, you should be careful about changeups thrown at right-handed hitters. We need concentration not to chase all the balls," he said.

Baseball fans around the world are paying attention to Miami to see if Japan, which went on an expedition to the U.S. for its second consecutive WBC victory, can calm Venezuela's powerful firepower with ace Yamamoto.

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*This content was translated by AI.