26+ min ago (143+ words) Shohei Ohtani plans to play for Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic Ohtani helped Japan win the 2023 WBC, striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the championship game against the United States. He was named MVP of the tournament. Ohtani won his fourth MVP award this month, shortly after he helped the Dodgers win their second straight World Series title. He returned to the mound this season after not pitching in 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In the postseason, he had arguably the best game in major league history, striking out 10 batters and hitting three homers as the Dodgers completed a four-game NL Championship Series sweep of Milwaukee. Ohtani did not specify in his post whether he plans to pitch for Japan in the WBC, which begins on March 5....

33+ min ago (252+ words) Shohei Ohtani plans to play for Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic. The two-way Los Angeles Dodgers star made the announcement on social media Monday night. Ohtani helped Japan win the 2023 WBC, striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the championship game against the United States. He was named MVP of the tournament. Ohtani won his fourth MVP award this month, shortly after he helped the Dodgers win their second straight World Series title. He did not specify in his post whether he plans to pitch for Japan in the WBC, which begins on March 5. Shohei Ohtani announces he will play for Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic Ohtani helped Japan win the 2023 WBC, striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the championship game against the…...

45+ min ago (743+ words) Seven questions to take you out of November and into what will almost certainly be a very interesting December for the Red Sox. The Red Sox needed to open 40-man roster spots in order to protect eligible prospects from next month's Rule 5 Draft, but I'm surprised at how they accomplished that. Namely, sacrificing lefty relievers Brennan Bernardino and Chris Murphy by trading them to the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, respectively. Murphy's trade at least made some sense. In Chicago, he joins a rebuilding team and can truly define and take ownership of a role, something he never really had the opportunity to do in Boston. Never mind the fact that the Red Sox are just beginning to be a pitching development factory and cutting two talented, club-controlled lefties feels a bit like putting the cart before the horse,…...

1+ hour, 15+ min ago (1036+ words) Fox News correspondent Madison Scarpino reports on the latest sports scandal, this time involving Major League Baseball on 'Fox Report.' This is an argument for mercy. Somebody please send it to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. Among the most important decisions Commissioner Rob Manfred will make in the course of his career as baseball's top cop " and the one for which he will be most remembered " is how he punishes Cleveland Guardian pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz. GUARDIANS PITCHERS INDICTED IN GAMBLING SCHEME INVOLVING MLB GAMES Manfred has also overseen the introduction of a pitch clock and the implantation of the rule placing a runner on second base to start extra innings in MLB. Both changes are generally seen as major improvements to the game, but the decision to pull the All Star game from Atlanta left a…...

2+ hour, 18+ min ago (279+ words) Shohei Ohtani, a two-time World Series champion, will attempt to add a second World Baseball Classic title to his haul when he competes for the defending champion Japanese team again next year. The 31-year-old two-way superstar made the announcement Monday on social media that he would again participate in the international tournament. Ohtani is fresh off another spectacular season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the unanimous selection as the National League's Most Valuable Player after going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 pitching starts while leading the league at the plate with a .622 slugging percentage, a 1.014 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and a career-high 146 runs scored. In 158 regular-season games this year, Ohtani batted .282 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs en route to his fourth career MVP honor. Then Ohtani helped the Dodgers complete a run to their second straight World Series championship. He hit…...

2+ hour, 56+ min ago (196+ words) The Dodgers star has already made the United States suffer before The Japanese two-way superstar confirmed on Monday his intention to participate in the tournament, adding the biggest name in baseball right now to an event that will take place next March. This news boosts global interest in the WBC 2026, especially among fans following Ohtani's historic run. Japan will open Group C play in the 2026 WBC on March 6 at the Tokyo Dome-a massive event for the defending champions, who will face Chinese Taipei, Korea, Australia, and Czechia (Czech Republic) in pool play. Ohtani is coming off winning his fourth unanimous MVP in the last five MLB seasons. It's also worth remembering that he is the reigning WBC MVP after leading Japan to its third gold medal in the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ohtani delivered one of the most epic moments…...

3+ hour, 10+ min ago (791+ words) Shohei Ohtani will once again represent Team Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic. Whether or not he pitches in the international tournament, however, remains unclear. On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he is planning to participate in the WBC for the second time in his career. In the 2023 WBC, he won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to that year's title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game. The baseballs turned into fast cash for two Blue Jays fans and one Dodgers fan who secured their possession through good fortune and quick thinking. "I'm happy to play again representing Japan," Ohtani wrote in Japanese on Monday. The question now is whether Ohtani will pitch in the event, which takes place in March,…...

3+ hour, 10+ min ago (791+ words) Shohei Ohtani will once again represent Team Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic. Whether or not he pitches in the international tournament, however, remains unclear. On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he is planning to participate in the WBC for the second time in his career. In the 2023 WBC, he won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to that year's title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game. The baseballs turned into fast cash for two Blue Jays fans and one Dodgers fan who secured their possession through good fortune and quick thinking. "I'm happy to play again representing Japan," Ohtani wrote in Japanese on Monday. The question now is whether Ohtani will pitch in the event, which takes place in March,…...

4+ hour, 14+ min ago (172+ words) Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will play for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he announced on social media Monday night. Japan will be looking to repeat after winning gold in the 2023 Classic. Ohtani won the tournament's MVP award and memorably struck out former teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the deciding game against Team USA. Ohtani, who returned to the mound this past season after not pitching for nearly two years following a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament. He did not say in his post whether he would be pitching for Japan. The WBC kicks off on March 5, with Japan beginning group play in Pool C along with Australia, South Korea, Czechia and Chinese Taipei. Team USA will be in Pool B. Team USA has already received commitments from stars Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh…...

4+ hour, 44+ min ago (164+ words) Updated on: November 24, 2025 / 10:32 PM PST / AP Shohei Ohtani plans to play for Japan in next year's World Baseball Classic, the two-way Los Angeles Dodgers star announced on social media Monday night. Ohtani helped Japan win the 2023 WBC, striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the championship game against the United States. He was named MVP of the tournament. Ohtani'won his fourth MVP award'this month, shortly after he helped the Dodgers win their second straight World Series title. He returned to the mound this season after not pitching in 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In the postseason, he had arguably the best game in major league history, striking out 10 batters and hitting three homers as the Dodgers completed a four-game NL Championship Series sweep of Milwaukee. Ohtani did not specify in his post whether…...