Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will play for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he announced on social media Monday night.
Japan will be looking to repeat after winning gold at the 2023 Classic. Ohtani was named MVP of the tournament and he memorably struck out former Angels teammate Mike Trout in the final out of the deciding game against Team USA.
Ohtani returned to the mound last season after not pitching for nearly two years following a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament. He did not say in his post on Monday whether he would advocate for Japan or not.
The WBC begins on March 5, with Pool C featuring Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czechia and Chinese Taipei. Team USA will be in Pool B.
Team USA has already received commitments from stars Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Paul Skenes, among others.
Ohtani is coming off his second consecutive World Series title with the Dodgers and was awarded his fourth MVP award earlier this month.
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