Shohei Ohtani, a two-way baseball phenom, said that Japan’s victory against the United States in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final was the crowning achievement of his life. He also mentioned that he is already looking forward to the 2026 edition of the international exhibition.
Ohtani played a pivotal part in Japan’s triumph against the United States, including striking out his teammate Mike Trout to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory and their third WBC championship on Tuesday. Ohtani, age 28, told reporters, “This is without a doubt the greatest moment of my life.” Merely winning today does not indicate that we have accomplished our ultimate objective. This is only an intermediate phase. Our squad is only starting off, thus I feel we should prepare for the future.”
Ohtani said, “I believe the next WBC will be in three years, so I’ll have to maintain my current level and maybe progress as a player… I’d be excited to participate again. I saw Japan’s victory and wanted to be a part of it. I am so glad to have had this extraordinary experience. I hope that the youth of the younger generation will be motivated to play baseball. It would make me happy.”
Ohtani was named the Most Valuable Player of the WBC, and he urged his teammates not to be frightened by the star-studded U.S. squad before the game. Ohtani continued, “Just by gazing at the formidable roster of players, we have admiration, but we also feel overmatched.”
“So, let go of these types of feelings; we’re on equal footing, and we just need to vanquish them – I only wanted to implant this sense in you. This proves that Japanese baseball is capable of defeating any team in the world.
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Photo by: reuters
