THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 7, 2023 at 11:40 JST
Shohei Ohtani hits a three-run home run against the Hanshin Tigers during a prep game for the World Baseball Classic, in Osaka on March 6. (The Asahi Shimbun/ Jin Nishioka)
Shohei Ohtani hit a pair of three-run homers in a prep game for the World Baseball Classic, helping Japan win 8-1 at the Central League’s Hanshin Tigers in an exhibition on Monday night.
The Los Angeles Angels two-way star went down to his left knee in the third inning when he homered to center off right-hander Hiroto Saiki. Ohtani homered to center again in the fifth against left-hander Ren Tomida.
Ohtani struck out in his first at-bat and suggested he might have had jet lag after traveling from spring training in the United States.
Ohtani was playing his first game for Japan since an exhibition against the Netherlands on Nov. 13, 2016.
The WBC starts Wednesday with two games in Taiwan: Cuba vs. Netherlands, and Panama vs. Taiwan. Japan opens Thursday against China at the Tokyo Dome. Ohtani is expected to be Japan’s designated hitter.
Japan won the first two editions of the tournament in 2006 and 2009. The U.S. is defending champion after winning in 2017. The Dominican Republic is considered a favorite.
MLB/ Ohtani Ks 11, extends scoreless streak in 4-1 win over WSox
June 30, 2022
MLB/ Ohtani bounces back with go-ahead run as Angels edge Astros
September 24, 2021
MLB/ Ohtani, Kikuchi enjoy Home Run Derby, high school reunion
July 13, 2021
MLB/ Ohtani scratched from mound start vs Tampa Bay
May 4, 2021
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
