Shohei Ohtani is 100% with the Japan team for the World Baseball Classic and he showed it this Monday in an exhibition game against Hanshin Tigers of the Japan Baseball League.
The Los Angeles Angels pitcher of Anaheim struck out in his first at-bat. In his next plate appearance, hit a long home run of more than 420 feet to center field with a swing that brought him to his kneesand allowed him to bring 3 more runs to the plate.
His third at-bat came in the fourth inning with two men circulating and again Ohtani drove it all over center field to drive in 3 more runs to get to 6 RBIss in the last preparation match before the classic.
Japan are set to face China in their first home game of the World Classic featuring Shohei Ohtani as a starter on the mound and also the leadoff hitter for the team that starts as a great favorite for the tournament.
Japan began to build its legend above nations in America and gave the big surprise in the first tournament held in 2006.
The Japanese team was unaware of such boasts and, with a game of great fireworks, beat Cuba 10-6 in the final of the first edition of the tournament.
The conquest of that March 20, 2006 was no coincidence. Japan is the country with the most victories in the history of the tournament: accumulates twenty-three and treasures two consecutive titles: 2006 and 2009.
In Group B, Japan, South Korea, Australia, China and the Czech Republic will meet. In C the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Canada and Great Britain were paired.
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