“Overwhelming presence” Otani joins “Samurai J” accelerates to WBC consecutive victory[Super J Channel](February 26, 2026)

WBC (World Baseball Classic) consecutive victory. Otani is finally joining Samurai Japan. ■“Overwhelming presence” Otani joins the group Two days after returning to Japan, Shohei Otani finally appeared in front of the camera in Japan. Ahead of the Samurai Japan warm-up match against Chunichi, which will be held from the 26th, a dependable man who has won MVP four times in the Major Leagues has joined the team. Fellow major leaguers Yusei Kikuchi of the Angels and Tomoyuki Kanno of the Rockies have already joined the team from Miyazaki Prefecture, while Masanao Yoshida of the Red Sox, who had a tournament-record 13 RBIs in the last WBC, and Seiya Suzuki, who hit 32 home runs with the Cubs last year, have joined the team from the 25th. Otani appeared at the stadium 15 minutes before Samurai Japan’s practice began, wearing a beige jacket and white pants, and immediately changed into the Japan uniform and appeared on the field. Otani relaxed at the stadium in Japan for the first time in a year and exchanged greetings with his teammates from the previous tournament and the new players who joined him this time. After that, he returned to the bench and thought that was the end of his practice on the 26th, but he reappeared and trained using the rubber tube that had been tied to the net. “This is a great photo opportunity,” many photographers said as they pressed the shutter. Meanwhile, Otani was smiling and talking with pitching coach Nomi. Actively communicate with your new team. After this, Otani worked hard at his first practice in Japan in a while, playing catch and other activities. The warm-up game on the 27th will be held from 7pm. Samurai Japan Manager Hirokazu Ibata: “(Expectations for Otani): There is no doubt that he is a great hitter. I hope he can lead the team through his plays.” Shohei Otani: “I want to greet each person individually, including the manager and coach, and there are some that I haven’t finished yet, so from tomorrow onwards, I hope we can continue to communicate as a team while greeting each other.”
[テレ朝NEWS] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp