There were two outs in the top of the ninth inning and Japan was trailing Chinese Taipei, 3-2, in the second round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The tying run was on second base and veteran infielder Hirokazu Ibata stepped to the plate in front of a raucous, jam-packed Tokyo Dome crowd.
"The entire stadium was rooting for me," Ibata, the current Samurai Japan manager, remembered while visiting the MLB offices recently. "I went up there thinking, 'Hey, what would happen if I got a hit? What would happen if I made an out?' Throughout my childhood, when I was younger, these are the situations I thought about."
On a 2-2 pitch, Ibata got a fastball that caught too much of the plate. He swung, lacing a line drive beyond the leaping shortstop's head and into the outfield. The tying run raced home to tie the game before Japan eventually won the game, 4-3, in extra innings.
"It was incredible," Ibata said. "It was one of the best experiences. To have the entire stadium cheering for me -- it's the thing that dreams are made of."
Though Ibata racked up plenty of accolades in Japan -- earning eight All-Star nods, collecting seven Gold Glove Awards, and being named to five Best Nine teams -- he never had a chance to "play in the United States, where the Major Leagues are really the best in the world."
He showed off his skills in the Classic, though, going 10-for-18 in the tournament and earning a spot on the All-WBC team. It's one of the proudest moments of his career, as "everybody else was from the Major Leagues."
"I was getting a little bit older and it was towards a later part of my career," Ibata said. "I basically went all out for the 2013 tournament."
These days, it's Ibata's job to assemble the Samurai Japan roster, taking over for the reigning World Baseball Classic champions after previous manager Hideki Kuriyama stepped down at the expiration of his contract. When asked how his approach to the team may be similar or different than Kuriyama's approach, Ibata paused to think for a moment.
"I'm not sure if this is similar to him -- it probably is -- but how the team comes together," Ibata said. "The combination of Major League players and the Japanese players is something [that may be even more important in 2026]."
Though this will be Ibata's first World Baseball Classic at the helm, he's already shown plenty of skill guiding the national team. In addition to being the U-15 national team manager, Ibata helped extend Samurai Japan's international winning streak to a remarkable 27 games -- a run which began in 2019 under then-manager Atsunori Inaba -- before a shock upset loss to Chinese Taipei in the Premier12 gold medal game in November.
"The Premier12 is a little tighter in terms of schedule [than the WBC] and there are different rules regarding pitchers," Ibata said when reflecting on the contest. "I lost a little bit of flexibility as the tournament went on, where the WBC is a little different. I'm thinking about how I may be able to use more pitchers effectively in tougher situations. At the same time, there was an intensity to [the Chinese Taipei team] that Japan had not realized."
With the World Baseball Classic now less than a year away, I chatted with Ibata about some of his plans for the club in the next year. Here is that conversation, edited for length and clarity.
Thanks to Sho Kikuchi for translation assistance.
MLB: Japan's roster is similar to the United States' in that there are almost too many stars to fit onto one team. How do you balance the roster?
Hirokazu Ibata: Whether they're starting or not, the immediate goal is to win this game. The overall goal is to be No. 1 in the world, to win the World Baseball Classic. I think that all of the players are going to be working toward that goal.
MLB: Is that the secret behind the team? I mean, three World Baseball Classic championships where no one else has one more than one. Ranked No. 1 in the world, the 27-game winning streak.
Ibata: It's a challenge for a lot of the other countries -- the Dominican Republic, the United States -- to bring their best players for short tournaments such as the World Baseball Classic. But in Japan, everybody has the same goal. That's maybe one of the secrets to bring such a strong team together for these tournaments.
MLB: Japan's potential pitching staff is remarkable with players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Kodai Senga and Shota Imanaga just some of the MLB arms who could be available for you -- to say nothing of Ohtani or NPB starters like Hiroto Takahashi (who pitched in the Premier12). You mentioned how you approached the pitching staff at the Premier12, but how are you looking at the rotation for the World Baseball Classic?
Ibata: We're still evaluating pitchers, and there are also some new pitchers that are coming up. Reflecting back on the 2023 World Baseball Classic, even aces like Roki Sasaki, they couldn't go more than four innings, for example. So, I'm thinking about shorter outings, perhaps up to three innings, and then they perhaps could go all out. I'm trying to construct the staff with that in mind.
MLB: As the manager of the U-15 team, you're used to balancing development with a need to win ballgames. Who are some of the young players who have caught your eye that we might find on the 2026 roster?
Ibata: It's even more challenging on the position side, but for the pitchers, there are exciting players. Some I thought of a couple years ago, so I've already called them up to the top team. Some of the names are Yumeto Kanemaru of the Chunichi Dragons. Another is Tatsuya Imai from the Seibu Lions. He was great before, but he's picked it up another notch. I'm very, very excited.
MLB: Now, we have to talk about Shohei Ohtani. He's just returned to the mound for the Dodgers, but how important is he to the Samurai Japan team?
Ibata: Ohtani not only provides flexibility because he's able to pitch and hit and save a roster spot, but he's able to bring even more out of the players, to see them beyond what they believe. He and [Yu] Darvish played that leadership role in 2023.
MLB: The fans at the Tokyo Dome are pretty incredible -- which you mentioned was important for your own performance. Not only do they fill the stadium for Japan's games, but they cheered loudly for the Czech Republic and Australia in 2023 and supported Chinese Taipei even after defeating Japan in the Premier12. What can you say about the fans?
Ibata: They love baseball. They're interested in baseball. To be able to win in front of those fans -- in front of the fans that support the entire world of baseball -- is a special feeling. Also in Japan, there are fans that don't watch baseball generally, but will watch the World Baseball Classic because it is so special.
The other thing is that we are losing Japanese players because the population is dwindling. So, I want to bring the excitement.