Shohei Ohtani

Everything you need to know about the World Baseball Classic rules that dictate whether Shohei Ohtani can hit and pitch in the same game.

Ohtani has been dominant as a hitter for Japan to this point in the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani is also one of five pitchers with two wins in the tournament. Ohtani was able to serve as the starting pitcher when Japan faced Italy in the quarterfinals and remain in the game as the designated hitter once he was lifted. Japan hasn't won the World Baseball Classic since 2009, when Daisuke Matsuzaka was the tournament's MVP. The former AL MVP is batting .450 with one home run, eight RBI, and a 1.421 OPS through six games. [Will Shohei Ohtani pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic final vs.

Japan is hoping to get its hands on the sterling silver WBC championship trophy on Tuesday. For that to happen, it will need its biggest star — Shohei ...

Ohtani started Japan's quarterfinal win over Italy last Thursday and threw 71 pitches, but enough time has elapsed that he is eligible to take the mound again. Japan's manager, Hideki Kuriyama, said before Monday's semifinal that he wouldn't rule out the idea of Ohtani taking the mound in the final. And with a loaded USA lineup on the docket, the temptation is there to give Ohtani the ball in the big game. Yu Darvish is slated to take the mound for Japan in the championship game as starter. And he showcased that flair for the dramatic in Japan is hoping to get its hands on the sterling silver WBC championship trophy on Tuesday.

The Angels star may be poised to come out of the bullpen in the final game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

That said, both Ohtani and his manager have acknowledged the possibility that he'll take the mound on Tuesday night. That said, general manager Perry Minasian, when asked about the possibility that Ohtani will pitch against Team USA, [Los Angeles Angels](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/LAA/los-angeles-angels/) two-way superstar [Shohei Ohtani](/mlb/players/2901324/shohei-ohtani/) was one of the heroes of Japan's comeback win over Mexico in the World Baseball Classic semifinals on Monday night.

We discuss if Shohei Ohtani will take the mound for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic championship against Team USA.

ET and the game will air on FS1. Ohtani led off the inning with a double. NPB home run champ Munetaka Murakami lined a ball off the fence, scoring both Ohtani and Yoshida. Ohtani hasn’t come out of the bullpen in a game since 2016. Team Japan advanced to the championship game with a walk-off victory against Mexico. He has been dominant on the mound and at the plate just as he has during his major league tenure.

MIAMI -- It's here. The matchup the world has been waiting for: Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout. On Tuesday evening, the two Angels teammates will take the ...

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The life of a Japanese journalist, one assigned to cover the country's biggest star playing in Major League Baseball, is all-consuming and relentless.

It’s a feeling Shohei gives to people that makes me not obligated to, but I want to deliver the story to the people of Japan.” Her life is so ingrained here now though that even though her family is back in Japan, she feels more at home in the U.S. “What I was told is as a reporter covering baseball, you need to wait for them to come in and then wait until they get out,” explained Aoike of the cameras on the hill. The biggest difference from then to now, with Ohtani, McNamee explained, is the method of communication. Aoike, since moving to the U.S., has gone back to Japan to visit family once or twice a year, mainly in January when the offseason is typically at its slowest. She presently works as a communications manager in the Angels public relations department, helping navigate the Japanese media that come to cover Ohtani. He also flew to Miami for the semifinals and then will go back to Tempe for the rest of [ spring training](https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2023-02-28/shohei-ohtani-angels-pitch-clock-phil-nevin), when Ohtani and Samurai Japan are finished in the WBC. [ Ohtani’s participation in the World Baseball Classic](https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2023-03-12/shohei-ohtani-home-run-japan-australia-wbc) with Japan, Yanagihara went back to Tokyo for a little extra time than usual. “So you need to try to get footage of that to make sure that he arrives that day healthy. “Of course it is a tough job for me,” Yanagihara said of being a baseball journalist. And then I had to go to the stadium at 12 p.m. And Ohtani’s even bigger than Ichiro Suzuki, who spent the majority of his 18-plus seasons in the big leagues with the Seattle Mariners.

Shohei Ohtani is the brightest of baseball stars in the WBC. But how he comports himself off the field has made an equally big impression on observers.

- World Baseball Classic 2023 odds: How to bet Japan vs. All rights reserved. World Cup Cup FIFA World Cup - Goals FIFA World Cup - Top Moments

At the center of the action is Shohei Ohtani. The 2x MLB All-Star has helped lead Japan to tonight's championship game versus the United States. More ...

Team Mexico manager and Los Angeles Angels infield coach Benji Gil has offered some high praise for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Some, perhaps [even Ohtani,](https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/did_shohei_ohtani_think_he_shouldve_won_mvp_over_aaron_judge/s1_13132_38441933) believe the 28-year and not Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees was the actual AL MVP last season. "Because baseball pitcher and hitter are two different sports. "He plays two different sports. [Deesha Thosar](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/shohei-ohtanis-unicorn-essence-on-full-display-in-wbc) of Fox Sports. "I mean, he might be the greatest athlete ever." Ohtani and Japan will now face Trout and the United States in the WBC final on Tuesday night.

The Angels star may come out of the bullpen in the final game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

That said, both Ohtani and his manager have acknowledged the possibility that he'll take the mound on Tuesday night. That said, general manager Perry Minasian, when asked about the possibility that Ohtani will pitch against Team USA, [Los Angeles Angels](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/LAA/los-angeles-angels/) two-way superstar [Shohei Ohtani](/mlb/players/2901324/shohei-ohtani/) was one of the heroes of Japan's comeback win over Mexico in the World Baseball Classic semifinals on Monday night.

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was named MVP of the 2023 World Baseball Classic after dominating at the plate and on the mound to deliver Japan it's third ...

Ohtani’s only other save was in a Japan postseason playoff game in 2016. “What he’s doing in the game is what probably 90 per cent of the guys in that clubhouse did in Little League or in youth tournaments, and he’s able to pull it off on the biggest stages,” U.S. Ohtani batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks as Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball’s premier national team tournament.

Shohei Ohtani closed out a 3-2 win as Japan won its first WBC title since 2009.

We came here to surpass them, to reach the top. All of it set up a dream final between two baseball powerhouses: Team USA, with its copious All-Stars and billion-dollar lineup, against Samurai Japan, the No. Throughout the tournament, Ohtani continued to amaze, as he has done both hitting and pitching during his five-year major league career. [Jeff McNeil](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33900/jeff-mcneil): a 101.5 mph fastball, the hardest Ohtani had thrown since coming to the United States -- until he would later face Trout. His teammate and good friend, [Mike Trout](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/30836/mike-trout), at the plate for Team USA. Otherwise, the American offense was feckless, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight runners. Over the previous 17 days, the WBC had filled the typically staid March baseball calendar with heart-palpitating action: tournament favorite Dominican Republic getting ousted in pool play; a late-game, go-ahead grand slam that propelled the U.S. Samurai Japan, the juggernaut of this WBC, finished off the Americans to cap a 7-0 tournament. Starting with Shota Imanaga and ending with Ohtani, who also went 1-for-3 batting third as designated hitter, Japan spread out its nine innings among seven pitchers and shut down the U.S. And with it, Samurai Japan won the World Baseball Classic. offense down and in front of a partisan crowd with "USA!" The best player on the planet,

Shohei Ohtani, the tournament MVP, got the save and struck out Mike Trout for the last out as Japan beat the United States 3-2 in the WBC title game.

Kyle Schwarber cut Team USA’s deficit to one when he blasted a solo home run to the second deck with one out. Japan tied the score on a solo home run from Munetaka Murakami, the slugger who delivered the walk-off double to beat Mexico in the semifinals the previous night, off U.S. The Dodgers lost, and Darvish was blamed. Darvish, like Ohtani, was available to pitch Tuesday after pitching in the quarterfinals Thursday. The hype for Tuesday was bigger. Team USA was on the Japanese team’s minds long before the tournament started. Trout swung through the first, took the second for a ball, struck through the third and laid off the fourth to bring the battle to the bring. The country became the first to win the WBC three times. The weight of the moment was evident; McNeil hopped down the line, turning to scream into the U.S. Looming, however, was the chance he would emerge from the bullpen to pitch with the game on the line. Trout’s role for the night was known from the outset. It was the same as always.

Baseball fans witnessed one of the greatest pitcher-batter matchups ever when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to win the WBC title.

"I wanted to make my best pitch." [pic.twitter.com/4iwSRlqU9D] [March 22, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/Pp7ojcB04y] [March 22, 2023] Ohtani came into Tuesday's game sporting a 1.321 OPS. And with the title on the line, both sides turned to their titans. Both Trout and Ohtani had been dominant throughout the tournament.

Designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani was named Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic on Tuesday after helping lead Japan to their ...

Ohtani finished the tournament with a .435 average, one home run and eight RBIs at the plate and posted a 2-0 record with a 1.86 ERA and struck out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to record the championship out and earn a save. Designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani was named Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic on Tuesday after helping lead Japan to their third WBC title. Japan’s Ohtani named MVP of World Baseball Classic

Ohtani came out of the bullpen to get the final three outs of the 3-2 win. MLB could not have scripted a better finish. Japan won its third ever WBC title and ...

In the semifinals against Mexico on Monday, Ohtani opened the ninth inning with a double to spur the game-tying rally. Ohtani was, truly, the best hitter and pitcher in the WBC. Japan won its third ever WBC title and thanks in part to the championship game save, Ohtani was named the World Baseball Classic MVP.

MIAMI – It was the matchup that every fan, every player, every person who had ever watched a baseball game in their lives had dreamed of when rosters were ...

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The stakes were, unsurprisingly, major: the ninth inning of the World Baseball Classic championship game. And with the title on the line, both sides turned to ...

"I wanted to make my best pitch." [pic.twitter.com/4iwSRlqU9D] [March 22, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/Pp7ojcB04y] [March 22, 2023] Ohtani came into Tuesday's game sporting a 1.321 OPS. And with the title on the line, both sides turned to their titans. Both Trout and Ohtani had been dominant throughout the tournament.

Baseball fans witnessed one of the greatest pitcher-batter matchups ever when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to win the WBC title.

"I wanted to make my best pitch." [pic.twitter.com/4iwSRlqU9D] [March 22, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/Pp7ojcB04y] [March 22, 2023] Ohtani came into Tuesday's game sporting a 1.321 OPS. And with the title on the line, both sides turned to their titans. Both Trout and Ohtani had been dominant throughout the tournament.

The 2023 World Baseball Classic had been so fun the past few weeks so it was only fitting that the final out came to two of baseball's best players - Shohei ...

Shohei Ohtani fanned LA Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in a matchup the baseball world wanted to see, leading Japan over the defending ...

Japan loaded the bases in the second on singles by Okamoto and Sosuke Genda, and a walk to Yuhei Nakamura. Half of each goes to players, the other half to the national baseball federaton. "He is a unicorn to the sport. "He threw me a good pitch at the end." Japan gets $3 million in prize money and the U.S. to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Trea Turner put the U.S. 2-0 in Yokohama for the 2021 Olympic gold medal. Ohtani batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks as Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball's premier national team tournament. With the count full, Trout waved at a sharp slider to end the ninth inning. "I saw him take a big deep breath to try and control his emotions," Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said. I wanted to make my best pitch," Ohtani said.

There has never been a player like Shohei Ohtani, and now he has added "World Baseball Classic closer" to his résumé.

A thrilling tournament ended with Shohei Ohtani and Japan capturing the country's third W.B.C. crown.

The many United States fans in attendance and Turner beamed in the dugout afterward. Turner, the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop who powered the United States earlier in the tournament, smashed his fifth home run of the W.B.C. Japan’s lineup then chased Kelly from the game with two singles and a walk. Award in M.L.B., addressed his teammates and told them to stop admiring the superstars on the other side. The United States struck first against Japan in the second inning. Originally lined up to start the final game until a switch the day before, Darvish entered as a reliever in the eighth inning. With a 3-2 win, Japan dethroned the United States on Tuesday at loanDepot Park in Miami and claimed the 2023 World Baseball Classic trophy. Normally a starting pitcher, Ohtani made his first relief appearance since 2016, when he played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. And when the inning was over, he jogged over to Japan’s bullpen in left field to warm up his right arm. In the five editions of the W.B.C., Japan has now won three times. Despite a lineup filled with Most Valuable Player Award winners and All-Stars from Major League Baseball, the United States mustered little against Japan, a team made up mostly of stars from that country’s top professional league. And with a powerful inning, including a six-pitch strikeout of his Los Angeles Angels teammate Trout, Ohtani sent Japan into pandemonium.

Baseball fans witnessed one of the greatest pitcher-batter matchups ever when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to win the WBC title.

"I wanted to make my best pitch." [pic.twitter.com/4iwSRlqU9D] [March 22, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/Pp7ojcB04y] [March 22, 2023] Ohtani came into Tuesday's game sporting a 1.321 OPS. And with the title on the line, both sides turned to their titans. Both Trout and Ohtani had been dominant throughout the tournament.

For the 2023 World Baseball Classic to bring baseball back to the annals of international sport, it would need a hero. As it turned out, it had a unicorn.

He scored the game-tying run in Japan's walk-off win vs. Shohei Ohtani added to his crowded trophy cabinet by capturing the 2023 WBC MVP. Still, it was a stunning performance for the Japanese star, another piece in his already lengthy laundry list of accomplishments. Ohtani would've had a case for the award had he just hit or just pitched. For his impressive efforts, he was awarded World Baseball Classic MVP, capping off a tournament run unlike any other in the competition's history. As it turned out, it had a unicorn.

What Ohtani has done so far in his MLB career, and what he did in the World Baseball Classic, is as far from normal as it gets.

[betting favorite](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/al-nl-mvp-odds-2023-shohei-ohtani-juan-soto-betting-favorites/bbksdonosmuzxl8siwbvxqxk) for AL MVP. The best part of all this is that the WBC was just the beginning for Ohtani in 2023. So, once more for anyone who’s somehow unaware or in a state of denial or unbelief: Ohtani is the best baseball player on planet Earth, and it’s not close. But this was just against a collection of the world’s best baseball players and Ohtani again proved himself to be the most wonderfully abnormal baseball player on the planet. If you think he’s overhyped, well, you just don’t get it. Also: 1.86 ERA and 11 punchouts in 9 2/3 innings.

Shohei Ohtani's ability to dominate as a hitter and as a pitcher delivered a championship for Japan while establishing the World Baseball Classic as a ...

Soon Ohtani will be back in Tempe, Ariz., in spring training with the Angels and Trout, a three-time M.V.P. “We came here to surpass them, to reach the top.” Standing in the middle of the home clubhouse, Ohtani told the players to stop admiring their U.S. “He is a unicorn to the sport.” in 2021, he did something unprecedented last season, becoming the first player ever with enough plate appearances (666) and innings (166) to qualify for both the batting title and the E.R.A. Even Babe Ruth never hit and pitched in the same season, in the same volume, as Ohtani. He’s so diligent and he works so hard and he’s so meticulous about how he goes about his business that it’s not a surprise.” “All you’ve got to do is just be born to be able to throw a hundred and hit the ball 500 feet — there’s really not that much going into it,” said the St. “He’s doing something nobody has done in the past,” first baseman Kazuma Okamoto, who homered on Tuesday, said through an interpreter. He had four doubles and a homer, and earned his last hit, in the seventh inning Tuesday, by beating out an infield grounder. MIAMI — He strode to the mound with purpose, 6-foot-4 and full of muscle, a relief pitcher unlike any other. “This thing is real — the W.B.C.’s real,” said Mark DeRosa, the U.S.

But if you think Ohtani is beyond popular stateside, he's unquestionably royalty in his native Japan. After Ohtani helped close out the WBC title, the Brooklyn ...

He said he is friends with Ohtani and looks up to him. He even struck out fellow mega-star and his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout [to reach the top of the WBC summit!](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/03/shohei-ohtani-mike-trout-wbc-strikeout-pitch-overlay) But if you think Ohtani is beyond popular stateside, he’s unquestionably royalty in his native Japan.