Ohtani "I'm incompetent" Fierce reflection → No rest → It's 'great' to hear that he will return to the Dodgers soon and return to the mound immediately

*This content was translated by AI.

Shohei Ohtani, who returned to his team LA Dodgers after leaving the shock of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), will take the mound directly in his return match. Lee Jung-hoo's return match is against the San Francisco Giants.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Ohtani's plan to take the mound in an interview with local reporters on the 18th (Korea time).

According to Roberts, Ohtani will take the mound as a starting pitcher at 5:05 a.m. on the 19th at the 2026 Major League Baseball exhibition game against San Francisco at Glendale Camelback Ranch in Arizona.

Ohtani joined the Dodgers on the 16th after the Japanese national team was eliminated from the quarterfinals in the WBC tournament. In fact, he moved from Miami to Arizona and rejoined the Dodgers' spring camp while returning the rest.

Roberts said, "I may not feel good about the failure to win the WBC, but now Ohtani and Yamamoto's goals are set for the Dodgers' third consecutive World Series," adding, "We started pitching in one inning last year, but we are in much better shape this year. "There will be no problem with pitching in three to four innings," he said.

Ohtani played well in this WBC. As a pitcher, he played only as a designated hitter without taking the mound, achieving an overwhelming batting average of 0.462, three home runs, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.842. During the WBC tournament, he also prepared to return to the big league mound by pitching the bullpen in his spare time.

After being eliminated from the quarterfinals of the WBC, he also reflected fiercely on himself. On the 16th, Ohtani said on his official social network service (SNS), "Thank you, fans, for your support. Your support has been a great help to us every day. However, I am deeply feeling my own incompetence because I have not achieved the desired result," he said.

Ohtani then 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. I would also like to thank the players and fans from all over the world who have faced each other since the first round. And congratulations to Venezuela, who won," he said.

Ohtani is scheduled to pitch three to four innings in his return to the exhibition game. First of all, he only focuses on the game as a pitcher. I don't plan on playing as a batter. After completing the inspection as a pitcher, he will start as a designated hitter against San Diego on the 21st.

Attention is drawn to the showdown with "Korean Major Leaguer" Lee Jung-hoo. Lee Jung-hoo also joined his team, San Francisco Spring Camp, after being eliminated from the quarterfinals of the WBC. In an exhibition game against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium in Arizona on the 17th, he started as the second right fielder and recorded one hit and one walk in two at-bats.

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*This content was translated by AI.