Team Japan, led by Shohei Ohtani, had no issued run ruling Chinese Taipei 13-0 in seven innings. Who was at the forefront of the massive scoring effort for the Japanese team? Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2X Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani.
The game early Friday morning on the East Coast featured an Ohtani grand slam to get the scoring started in the Tokyo Dome. It’s been a while since Ohtani stepped on the diamond (approximately four months), and it’s clear to MLB fans and spectators that he was missed. Ohtani’s five-RBI performance in Japan’s first WBC game made a strong impression on many social networks.
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GettyHere is the full schedule & standings for the 2026 World Baseball Classic
For more context, Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan squared off against Chinese Taipei @ 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast.
In a post by baseball account “DugoutForever“, Shohei Ohtani’s grand slam has been viewed nearly 12 million times, and it’s only been five and a half hours since it happened at roughly happened at 6 AM. It’s 11:30 AM at the time of writing this, and the clip now has 16 million views. Talk about a solid way to kick off the biggest global baseball tournament.
The official World Baseball Classic X account posted the towering home run as well, and that’s where millions of baseball enjoyers looked to view the video.
https://x.com/WBCBaseball/status/2029867872978104541?s=20
For all Dodgers fans, it’s good to see Ohtani already in mid-season form by crushing balls that are left in the zone. Since acquiring Shohei, the Dodgers are 2X World Series champions, and Ohtani has back-to-back pretty much unanimous MVP selections. With him returning to the mound (although he will not pitch in the WBC), Ohtani is heavily favored to win a fourth-straight MVP.
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Team Japan’s WBC Pool
Team Japan is 1-0 and already at the forefront of Pool C, which features Czechia, Australia, Chinese Taipei, and Korea.
Korea may be the only tough test for Japan in that pool of teams, as Czechia and Australia just don’t have enough high-end talent to compete with the Japanese group of stars.
Plus, two teams from each pool advance, so it’s highly unlikely that Team Japan will miss the quarterfinals, and they are actually co-favorites (depending on where you look) with Team USA to win the whole event.
There’s no star like Shohei Ohtani in any other professional sports, and every time he takes the diamond, he proves he’s truly one of a kind.
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