Dodgers News: From October Glory to International Duty: Yamamoto Commits to World Baseball Classic
Fresh off a World Series MVP run, Yamamoto now turns his focus to Team Japan.
LOS ANGELES, CA—Before the start of the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season, the baseball stage will go international with the start of the 2026 World Baseball Classic in March.
In their quest to repeat as world champions on the international stage, Team Japan will be joined by recent World Series MVP, right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While the right-hander’s status for the WBC was involved in much speculation after his workload in Year Two of a 12-year, $325 million contract and an extensive postseason in October, the righty was announced to be on Team Japan’s roster on Monday.
Yamamoto will join fellow Dodgers teammate, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who is fresh off his third consecutive league MVP award, the fourth of his already historic career.
Though Yamamoto wanted to represent Japan, his heavy workload raised concerns. The 27-year-old logged a team-high 27 starts, 173.2 innings, and 201 strikeouts while finishing third in National League Cy Young Award voting. He piled on five more starts and six postseason outings, including his title-clinching relief appearance in Game Seven.
Yamamoto responded to those concerns in an official statement from Samurai Japan. “I’ve trained during the offseason to get myself in condition to compete at the WBC,” Yamamoto said. “Together with my fantastic teammates and our reliable staff, we will aim to be No. 1.”
The right-hander made two appearances (one start) during the 2023 WBC, helping Team Japan win its third title, the most of any country involved in the competition.
The WBC will begin on March 4th, when Team Japan is set to open Pool C play against Australia, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Czechia, and South Korea. Both the United States and Japan are considered the favorites.
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