Shohei Otani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Aki Sasaki. (See data)
[Sports Center/Comprehensive Report]The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be held in March next year. The Japanese team will challenge for the second consecutive championship. It is still unclear whether the Dodgers “Japanese Three Pillars” Shohei Ohtani, Yunobu Yamamoto and Riki Sasaki will participate. Former Nippon Football legends and supervisors Hiromichi Ochiai and Kiyoshi Nakahata also expressed their views on this.
Dodger head coach Dave Roberts recently admitted on the show that if the players decide to participate in the Classic, he will give full support. However, in his own heart, he hopes that Shohei Ohtani, Yunobu Yamamoto and Riki Sasaki will not participate, and can take a good rest in the off-season and focus on the 2026 football season.
Hiromichi Ochiai was asked on the show today, what would he think if he were the coach? Hiromichi Ochiai said: “I will leave it to the team to decide. The initiative rests with the team. As long as the team says no, it means we can’t play. Only when the team lets it go, the players can decide whether to participate. The head coach actually has no decision-making power at all.”
Kiyoshi Nakahata expressed that he hoped that the head coach would have certain decision-making power. “The WBC is really becoming more and more attractive now, and the fans must be looking forward to it, right? Whether the three of them (Otani, Yamamoto, and Niki) will participate will make the entire event completely different. Although considering the physical condition, it will indeed be difficult to make a decision.” Hiromichi Ochiai responded: “But the current situation is that we have to follow the decision of the team.”
Shohei Ohtani led Japan to defeat the United States and win the championship in the last Classic. Whether he will wear the national team jersey again next year has attracted much attention. Ohtani recently said: “Still waiting for the team’s decision. I think everyone (Yamamoto, Ronci) is still at this stage, and it should be gradually determined later.”
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