No player is likely to receive more attention in this year’s World Baseball Classic than Shohei Ohtani, especially in his native Japan. The two-way superstar last played in front of his home fans in 2017, and he has not disappointed thus far.
Ohtani showed off his pitching skills in Team Japan’s opener Thursday, allowing just one hit in four shutout innings in an 8-1 win over China. Now, he’s produced an offensive highlight to match. The former AL MVP clobbered his first home run of the tournament Sunday with a 448-foot shot off Australia starter Will Sherriff in Japan’s final game of pool play. The first-inning home run gave Japan a 3-0 lead as it continued to dominate Pool B.
