Shohei Ohtani, the emotional leader of Japan’s national baseball team, once again shared photos of a team dinner after the squad’s first official training session for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) at Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Japan followed a similar routine before the 2023 WBC, when Ohtani also posted a group photo ahead of the tournament and the team went on to win the title undefeated. This year, he continued what many see as a “championship ritual,” with Dodgers teammate and reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto drawing attention for his bright smile in the photo. Catcher Yuhei Nakamura also posted the image, expressing the team’s determination to defend its world title.
Excitement among Japanese fans is even stronger than it was three years ago. Ohtani’s popularity was on full display when the team traveled by Shinkansen from Nagoya to Osaka—his appearance at Nagoya Station caused such a massive crowd that there were concerns about possible crowd crush incidents, prompting station staff and police to intervene to maintain order.
Despite veteran pitcher Yu Darvish being sidelined by injury, he remains involved as an advisor. Japanese media describe this year’s roster as even more star-studded than in 2023, led by Ohtani and featuring players such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yusei Kikuchi, Masataka Yoshida, Seiya Suzuki, Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto, and Tomoyuki Sugano, forming one of the most talented squads in tournament history.