Shohei Ohtani has made a major announcement.
The two-way superstar for the Los Angeles Angels announced he’s joined Team Japan for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Ohtani, who finished fourth in Wednesday’s AL Cy Young voting, revealed his intentions to play in the WBC on his Instagram account.
View this post on Instagram
Ohtani wrote, “Thank you to all the fans that supported me this year. I appreciate it and am excited for what’s to come next. Also, I have officially informed Team Japan Manager Mr. Kuriyama that I would like to participate in next year’s WBC.”
The superstar two-way player expressed eagerness to play in front of his home country. He later scribed in the post, “Looking forward for the opportunity to face the best players around the world and to be able to play in front of the Japanese fans for the first time in over 5 years!!”
Ohtani is the latest MLB superstar to pledge to play in the World Baseball Classic. Team USA is littered with star American players, including Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado.
The Angels paved the way for Ohtani to join Team Japan earlier this August. According to MLB.com last month, Ohtani had considered the role of a closer on the team. Imagine seeing that guy in the 9th inning.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022