TOKYO – When Shohei Ohtani plays in Japan, he makes sure to put on a show. He regularly takes batting practice on the field -- something he rarely does in the Majors -- making sure to reward his home country’s fans who fill the ballpark.
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On Friday night in Samurai Japan’s 13-0 mercy-rule win against Chinese Taipei in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he lived up to his reputation. He didn’t wait long: In his first at-bat, he swung at the first pitch, lacing it down the right-field line for a double that had an exit velocity of 117.1 mph before getting stranded at third base.
So, the next time he came to the plate, he took care of the whole thing. With the bases loaded, Ohtani swung at Chinese Taipei starter Hao-Chun Cheng’s 2-1 curveball and promptly deposited it in the right-field stands to jump-start a 10-run frame -- the most runs scored in a single inning in tournament history.
"I knew it was going to leave the park right after I hit it," Ohtani said. "It’s important to score first, so I really wanted to drive in at least a run."
Ohtani came up to bat again in the second and delivered an RBI single, giving him five RBIs for the inning -- the most in a frame in WBC history.
"That was the inning that really decided the game," Ohtani said. "After scoring the first few runs, we kept our focus and worked some walks, so I think we managed the game well from there. Overall, I think it was a good game."
As Ohtani rounded third base, he showed off the national team’s new team celebration where they whisk matcha. Similar to 2023’s pepper-grinder celebration, which was created by Lars Nootbaar, this year’s celebration was started by pitcher Koki Kitayama. Ohtani explained that some of the younger players were nervous about approaching the more senior members of the team so he selected the more introverted Kitayama to help lighten the mood.
"Kitayama really put a lot of thought into coming up with that idea, so I’ll keep doing my best to continue making that gesture," Ohtani said.
“We’re communicating more, little by little,” Ohtani said on Wednesday. “It’s not just a performance, we’re talking things over and trying to create something good as a team. I think our communication is excellent.”
Should Ohtani and Samurai Japan keep this up, they not only will be bound for the quarterfinals in Miami, but they could be walking away with their fourth World Baseball Classic championship.