As the World Baseball Classic (WBC) approaches, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers convened a press conference where he voiced his awareness of the difficulties that lie ahead. Ohtani indicated that he anticipates the Japanese team may face matches where they could fall behind, but he believes maintaining composure in these situations will allow for many successful games. Notably, in the last tournament, four out of the seven games were won through comebacks, demonstrating the resilience of the team.

Ohtani specifically recalled the semifinals against Mexico, where they trailed by three runs at one point. The decisive moment came in the ninth inning, when Munetaka Murakami (formerly of Yakult, now with the White Sox) delivered a two-run double, leading to a thrilling walk-off victory. This underscores the high-stakes nature of the competition and the importance of coming back from challenging positions during games, a trend he expects will continue in the upcoming matches.

This will be Ohtani’s second consecutive appearance in the WBC, and he remarked on the evolving dynamics within the team as he observes younger players joining the ranks. He humorously noted feeling older while appreciating the youthful energy and talent that the current team possesses. In recent practice games held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Ohtani did not secure any hits in five at-bats, but expressed contentment with his ability to follow through on his game plan without injury, suggesting a focus on overall performance and readiness for the tournament ahead.