Baseball fans gathered at Tokyo Dome from early Friday morning ahead of Samurai Japan's opening World Baseball Classic game against Taiwan, set to start at 7 p.m. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP, is slated to start for Japan in Pool C. The roster features a record eight Major League Baseball players, including 2023 WBC MVP Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers.
On March 6, 2026, Samurai Japan faces Taiwan in its Pool C opener at Tokyo Dome, with the game starting at 7 p.m. Fans arrived early Friday morning, buzzing with anticipation for the World Baseball Classic matchup. A 34-year-old office worker from Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, wearing an Ohtani jersey, said, “I was so excited since last night thinking that I can relive the excitement from three years ago. I want to see Ohtani hit a big home run.”
Within the team, Shohei Ohtani is fostering unity as the de facto leader, with no official captain appointed. During Tuesday's final warm-up against the Hanshin Tigers, players celebrated runs with a gesture mimicking whisking matcha tea—a idea from WBC newcomer Koki Kitayama, a 26-year-old pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Ohtani's former NPB club. Ohtani tasked Kitayama with creating it to build morale and ease the younger player's comfort. Kitayama said, “I was just happy to be given the assignment.”
Of the 30-player roster, 13 are WBC first-timers. Ohtani joked that seeing all the young teammates made him “feel old,” but stressed that “teamwork is the most vital thing to winning.” He added, “Overall, we are communicating brilliantly.” Ahead of the Taiwan game, Ohtani noted, “Very few games go smoothly from start to finish. But if we play as a team regardless of the situation, we can make it a great game.” Samurai Japan seeks a second straight title after winning the 2023 tournament.
