Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), who will participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), will not participate in the Miyazaki field training of the Japanese baseball team as he pitches in a major league (MLB) demonstration game.
Japanese Sports Hochi quoted Angels manager Phil Nevin on the 5th and said, “Otani is scheduled to start once before joining the Japanese baseball team, so he will miss the Miyazaki field training that will be held from the 17th to the 27th.”
Angels pitchers are called to the team for the spring camp to be held in Tempe, Arizona, USA on the 16th (Korean time), and Ohtani, who doubles as a pitcher, is no exception. Ohtani plans to move to Japan while preparing for the new season with his players, and coach Nevin plans to pitch Ohtani in at least one game.
According to Kyodo News, Minassian Angels general manager Perry told Japanese reporters, “Ohtani will probably leave on March 1, local time.”
The Angels will play a major league demonstration game from the 26th, and Ohtani will play against the Seattle Mariners (26th), against the Chicago White Sox (27th), against the San Francisco Giants (28th), and against the Oakland Athletics (March 1st). expected to appear in the game. 스포츠토토
Japan plans to play a practice game against Chunichi Dragons at the Nagoya Dome on March 3 and 4 after Miyazaki’s field training, but Ohtani will not be able to digest this game.
Active major leaguers can only play in the official evaluation before the opening of the WBC. Japan will hold an evaluation match against the Hanshin Tigers on March 6 and the Orix Buffaloes on the 7th.
Meanwhile, Japan was placed in Group B with Korea, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic in the first round of the WBC. The five teams in Group B will play a full league at Tokyo Dome from March 9 to 13, and the first and second place teams will advance to the quarterfinals.