Shohei Ohtani bluntly sums up Team Japan’s defeat to Venezuela in the WBC

Up 5-2 heading into the fifth inning on Saturday, the sport was going nicely for Group Japan as they appeared to advance to the World Baseball Traditional semifinals in routine vogue. In WBC historical past, Japan had by no means failed to succeed in the semifinals. Group Venezuela did not get the memo that Japan must be penciled into the semis, nonetheless.

From the fifth inning on, Venezuela managed to attain six runs whereas stopping Japan from plating a single runner, a triumph for the Venezuelan offense as nicely as their relief corps. Down three runs within the ninth, Shohei Ohtani got here to plate, representing the final ember of hope for the Samurai, an ember that rapidly burned out because the reigning MVP despatched a excessive pop fly to shallow middle area. And with the ultimate out, the defending champs watched as their WBC run got here to an abrupt finish.

Shohei Ohtani offers sincere opinion of Japan’s 2026 WBC run 

After the sport, the sensation of disappointment permeated the Japanese clubhouse. This disappointment was summed up fairly succinctly by Ohtani, who had this to say.

“Actually, something apart from a championship seems like a failure,” Ohtani mentioned, via David Adler of mlb.com. Everybody on Group Japan was working laborious, aiming just for the championship. …It is unlucky that it ended this fashion.”

The sport began with a leadoff residence run off the bat of Ronald Acuna Jr. Ohtani responded with a leadoff moonshot of his personal, tying the sport 1-1. On the day, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with an intentional stroll and a strikeout. His strikeout within the fourth was solely his second of the event. He completed the WBC going 6-for-13 with three residence runs and 5 walks (.611 OBP).