"Shock" Ohtani of the world somehow said, "I feel my incompetence deeply..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers), the "God of Baseball," bowed his head.

On the 16th, Ohtani said on his official social networking service (SNS), "Thank you, fans, for your support."

"Your support has been a great help to us every day. But I'm feeling my own incompetence because I haven't achieved the result I wanted," he said.

Ohtani said, "Players, coaches, and all the staff who supported the team. Although it was a short period of time, I am truly grateful for the experience of playing baseball with you as a representative of Japan. Thank you so much," he said.

Ohtani went on to express his gratitude again, saying, "I would also like to thank the players and fans from all over the world who have faced each other since the first round."

Finally, he showed the dignity of the loser, saying, "And congratulations to Venezuela, who won."

The Japanese baseball team lost to Venezuela 5-8 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 15th, and suffered elimination.

It was the first time Japan, which had been in the top four in all five tournaments, including the first tournament in 2006, 2009 and 2023, was eliminated from the quarterfinals.

Although the team lost, Ohtani proved his ability to the end. He played one hit, one RBI, one walk, and two runs in three at-bats, including a leadoff home run against Venezuela in the first inning. However, as the team lost, Ohtani had no choice but to lower his head. And he showed the dignity of self-reflection by lowering himself as much as possible through his SNS.

While Japanese media delivered Ohtani's remarks on social media, Japanese baseball fans comforted and cheered him. In an article published in Yahoo Sports Japan, Japanese netizens said, "Otani did his part. "I wouldn't have come this far without Ohtani," "I look forward to a better performance in my team," and "I look forward to a great performance at the next LA Olympics."

Meanwhile, Ohtani joined his team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, on the 17th. According to Japanese reports, he is already focusing on training, including being spotted playing catch. The Dodgers will play the opening game of the 2026 season against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, their home stadium, on the 27th.

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*This content was translated by AI.