For Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, the year 2026 will be all about repetition.
Repetition in terms of staying consistent with his elite swing, repetition when it comes to bearing down on hitters with his smooth delivery, and also as it pertains to winning at the highest level.
Ohtani publicly has vocalized his desire to win a third straight World Series title. This came during the post-parade celebration at Dodger Stadium when addressing the crowd.
Based on what he just revealed on social media, the opportunity for further repetition as a winner will come yet again as a member of Team Japan.
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Ohtani revealed on social media that he will represent his home country at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Japan won the last tournament in 2023, and as such, next year’s iteration will provide Ohtani the chance to beef up his personal and professional accolades list even further.
There was some speculation as to whether Ohtani would play in the WBC. He’s coming off a long season in which he captured yet another MVP honor.
Manager Dave Roberts — while supportive of Ohtani and his other Japanese players — was not shy in vocalizing that he’d hope the trio featuring Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki would skip the tournament.
It’s one thing for Ohtani to participate as a hitter prior to the year beginning. It’s another to have him also pitch given the star player recently came off major surgery on his arm.
The Dodgers likely would feel far better if Ohtani simply hit rather than aiming to be his usual Herculean self.
While the decisions from Yamamoto and Sasaki are not publicly known, LA would likely be even more insistent that the two take time off to properly prepare for the start of the regular season.
The 2026 WBC tournament is slated to begin on March 5, 2026 and end on March 17. Pool-play games will take place in the United States, Japan, and Puerto Rico.
The quarterfinals will occur in Miami and Houston, and the final two rounds will solely exist in Miami.
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Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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