Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player on the planet.
He also has a remarkable World Baseball Classic history highlighted by the tournament-winning strikeout of Mike Trout in 2023.
But Ohtani is also incredibly humble.
On Wednesday, Ohtani was asked about whether he was interested in partaking in the 2026 WBC for Japan.
Here’s what he said:
“I’ve said this before as well—if I’m chosen to participate, it would be a tremendous honor,” Ohtani said, via DodgersBeat. “But first and foremost, I think I need to prove myself again this season. That includes my performance and standing as a player. I believe I have to show that I deserve it this year. So right now, I’m focused entirely on this season. Then, in the offseason, I’ll see how things develop.”
That’s so wonderfully humble.
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There’s pretty much nothing that could happen on a ballfield this season (knocks on wood) that could prevent Ohtani from being chosen for Samurai Japan.
The biggest question will likely again come down to whether Ohtani pitches.
First, he has to get back on the mound for the Dodgers. Then, he has to stay healthy.
Given that the WBC runs from March 5-17 in the spring training ramp-up period for pitchers, Ohtani might be handled cautiously as far as his right arm goes.
But maybe that just means he gets closing duties in the championship game again. It worked before, so why not run it back?
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