LOS ANGELES — There’s an old joke: “What do you feed an 800-pound gorilla?” The answer? “Whatever it wants.” And in this case, the primate in question is the Dodgers’ $700 million man Shohei Ohtani. And the “whatever he wants” is to play in the World Baseball Classic. So even if the Dodger brass is not thrilled about it, Ohtani announced today that he plans to join Team Japan in the WBC next spring. [Cut to shot of Andrew Friedman wringing his hands and sweating profusely]
The tournament takes place in March, right in the middle of spring training, and his commitment instantly raises the profile of an event that was already shaping up as a showcase of global star power. For Dodger fans, it means the game’s biggest attraction will be chasing another championship before he even begins the defense of the Dodgers’ latest World Series crown.
Team Japan (known as Samurai Japan last time around) will open the 2026 Classic in Pool C, starting March 6 at the Tokyo Dome. The defending WBC champions share the group with Chinese Taipei, Korea, Australia, and Czechia, setting up a competitive round-robin in front of what should be a loud home crowd. Japan is looking to add to a growing trophy case after winning the 2023 tournament, and nobody was more central to that run than Ohtani.
He enters this Classic with a rare double label: reigning MVP in MLB and reigning MVP of the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani just collected his fourth unanimous Most Valuable Player Award in the last five seasons, an almost unheard-of level of dominance. On the international stage in 2023, he was just as overwhelming. At the plate that spring he hit .435, drove in eight runs, and posted a huge 1.345 OPS over seven WBC games. On the mound he went 2–0 with a 1.86 ERA, striking out 11 hitters in three appearances and even closing out the championship game.
That final inning produced one of the defining images of modern baseball: Ohtani facing his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout with the title on the line and finishing the game with a strikeout. Japan beat Team USA, secured its third WBC gold medal, and Ohtani walked away with another piece of hardware and another moment etched into highlight reels.
Since then, his résumé has only grown. After missing the entire 2024 season as a pitcher while recovering from elbow surgery, Ohtani returned to the mound for the Dodgers in June 2025 and immediately reminded everyone what a healthy two-way version of him looks like. This past season he launched a career-best 55 home runs and, in limited but electric work on the mound, posted a 2.87 ERA across 14 starts. He continued to hit and pitch all the way through October as Los Angeles captured a second straight World Series title.
One big question still hanging over the 2026 Classic is how Japan will use him. With his first full year back on the mound for the Dodgers coming up, it remains to be seen whether he will both hit and pitch in the WBC or focus on one role. Whatever the decision, his presence alone changes the entire tournament.
Ohtani will not be the only superstar on display. Several of MLB’s biggest names have already committed to the event, including Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes for Team USA, Francisco Lindor for Puerto Rico, and Salvador Perez for Venezuela. And of course, we haven’t yet heard from Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Roki Sasaki about their WBC plans. But putting Ohtani back into the mix on the international stage is a big deal, and the 2026 World Baseball Classic is lining up as another global showcase – one where Dodger fans will see their franchise player try to lead his country to another title before coming back to chase a third straight ring in blue.
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