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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is one of several dozen MLB players who will be representing their nation in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Originally scheduled for last year, the 2023 tournament will be fans' first glimpse at world class baseball on an international level in five years. The 20-team tournament officially kicks off on March 8.
Since breaking into the MLB in 2018, Shohei Ohtani has been virtually unstoppable. The two-way pitcher-hitter became the first player to hit 100 RBIs while simeltanously striking out 100 or more batters. Ohtani has been awarded both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP Award in his relatively short MLB career.
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Ohtani was born in Iwate Prefecture in 1994. He is currently in Japan ahead of his team's tournament opener against China on March 9. On March 5, the Japanese national team took on the Hanshin Tigers, an NPB club, in an exhibition game.
"The Sho has already started. Shohei Ohtani rips TWO home runs in #WorldBaseballClassic exhibition action." - MLB
An NPB veteran himself, Ohtani knows how the game is played in Japan better than anyone. Last night was all about the Los Angeles Angels star, who was performing for and against his countrymen.
The 2022 AL MVP runner-up hit his first home run in the third inning, a three-run shot off of Tigers pitcher Hiroto Saiki. Ohtani went down on one knee to drive the blast deep into the seats at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka.
Two innings later, Ohtani doubled up with another three-run blast. True to form, Shohei Ohtani also pitched six innings and allowed only one run against the Hanshin Tigers. Team Japan emerged victorious by a commanding 8-1 margin.
Team Japan are in Group D, and with the exception of South Korea, they do not have any real competition among the teams they are set to play in the first round. South Korea features only a pair of MLB stars: Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres.
Shohei Ohtani could very well be the player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic
It's time for Ohtani to forget the issues swirling around the Angels and his relationship with them. Although many predict Ohtani to receive record-setting offers next year when he becomes a free agent, he has the more immediate task of helping his country capture their first World Baseball Classic title since 2009.
