Mar 5, 2026
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is about to kick off. An introduction to the country’s national team and its members hoping to repeat Samurai Japan’s world championship in the 2023 WBC.
Play Ball!
The World Baseball Classic, held every three years, pits national teams from baseball-loving countries against one another in a two-week tournament. This year, it runs from March 5 through March 18, Japan time, with games played in Japan, Puerto Rico, and the United States.
In 2023 the Japanese team, known as Samurai Japan, defeated the United States in an electric final, ending with pitcher/hitter Ohtani Shōhei on the mound, striking out his then-teammate on the Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout, to clinch the trophy. Now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani is back this time as a designated hitter, along with teammate Yamamoto Yoshinobu, who takes the mound coming off of his pitching heroics that helped propel the Dodgers to a second straight World Series championship last fall.
In all, eight Japanese players on Major League teams will take the field for Samurai Japan, with the rest coming from Nippon Professional Baseball squads. At the helm is Ibata Hirokazu, who has managed the national team since replacing Kuriyama Hideki in 2023, following the team’s WBC championship.
Japan plays in the Tokyo Pool round against Chinese Taipei (March 6), South Korea (March 7), Australia (March 8), and Czechia (March 10). Success there will send the team on to the knockout rounds to be played in Houston, Texas, and Miami, Florida, where Japanese fans are hoping to see the Samurai squad in the championship game on March 17 local time.
Samurai Japan’s 2026 Roster
Coaching Staff
Ibata Hirokazu, manager
Kaneko Makoto, bench coach
Murata Yoshinori, bullpen coach
Nōmi Atsushi, pitching coach
Yoshimi Kazuki, pitching coach
Soyogi Eishin, third base coach
Kamei Yoshiyuki, first base coach
Matsuda Nobuhiro, game planning coach
Pitchers
Miyagi Hiroya, left hander, Orix Buffaloes
Itō Hiromi, right hander, Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters
Ōta Taisei, right hander, Tokyo Yomiuri Giants
Kikuchi Yūsei, left hander, Los Angeles Angels
Yamamoto Yoshinobu, right hander, Los Angeles Dodgers
Sugano Tomoyuki, right hander, Colorado Rockies
Sumida Chihiro, left hander, Saitama Seibu Lions
Kanemaru Yumeto, left hander, Chūnichi Dragons
Taneichi Atsuki, right hander, Chiba Lotte Marines
Takahashi Hiroto, right hander, Chūnichi Dragons
Fujihira Shōma, right hander, Tōhoku Rakuten Eagles
Sotani Ryūhei, left hander, Orix Buffaloes
Kitayama Kōki, right hander, Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters
Matsumoto Yūki, right hander, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
Catchers
Wakatsuki Ken’ya, Orix Buffaloes
Sakamoto Seishirō, Hanshin Tigers
Nakamura Yūhei, Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Infielders
Maki Shūgo, Yokohama DeNA BayStars
Kozono Kaito, Hiroshima Tōyō Carp
Makihara Taisei, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
Genda Sōsuke, Saitama Seibu Lions
Satō Teruaki, Hanshin Tigers
Okamoto Kazuma, Toronto Blue Jays
Murakami Munetaka, Chicago White Sox
Outfielders
Kondō Kensuke, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
Shūtō Ukyō, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
Morishita Shōta, Hanshin Tigers
Yoshida Masataka, Boston Red Sox
Suzuki Seiya, Chicago Cubs
Designated Hitter
Ohtani Shōhei, Los Angeles Dodgers
Data Sources
(Originally published in English. Banner photo: Ohtani Shōhei, at center in the bottom row, and other members of Samurai Japan on March 4, 2026, at Tokyo Dome. © Jiji.)
sports
baseball
Ohtani Shōhei
Samurai Japan