Japan’s ‘TNC TV West Japan’ said on the 19th (Korean time) that Kodai Senga expressed his thoughts on participating in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be held in March 2023. .
The WBC, which will be held for the first time in six years since 2017, will feature numerous ‘superstars’. In the United States, Mike Trout (LA Angels),메이저놀이터 a major league representative, is the captain of the national team, and Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers), Trey Turner (Philadelphia Phillies), and Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals) join the team. We are building a lineup.
In the case of the Dominican Republic, it is a lineup that does not lag behind the United States at all. Juan Soto, Manny Machado (above San Diego Padres), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays) have been confirmed to participate. Venezuela also has a large number of major leaguers, including Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves) and Jose Altuve (Houston Astros) boarding the national team.
Japan, which aims to ‘win’, is also not easy. In Japan, Shohei Ohtani (Angels), the ‘American League MVP’ last year, and Yu Darvish (San Diego), who won 188 wins in the US and Japan, and Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs), who served as the ‘4th hitter’ of the Japanese national team in recent years, have already won. He promised to join the national team.
Japan national team coach Hideki Kuriyama is currently coordinating when major leaguers will join the team. If specific conditions are met, it is very likely that big leaguers, including Ohtani, will participate from the first round held in Tokyo, starting with camp training in Miyazaki in February.
Then, what will happen to Senga Kodai, who recently signed a contract with the major leagues? After this season, Senga left the Softbank Hawks through an ‘opt-out’ and signed a five-year, $75 million (approximately 97.6 billion won) contract with the Major League New York Mets to wear a big league uniform. First of all, director Kuriyama is a picture that dissuades Senga from joining.
According to local multiple media including Japan’s ‘Daily Sports’ recently, coach Kuriyama said, “The possibility of getting on the national team depends not on this side (national team), but on the player or the club concerned. However, the individual player’s dream is the most important. It is not allowed to interfere with or destroy an individual’s dreams due to the circumstances of the past.” However, Senga did not hide his desire to join the national team.
According to Japan’s ‘TNC TV West Nippon’, Senga “hasn’t spoken to the club yet” but said he “want to compete in the WBC”. Although the joining of numerous major leaguers has already been confirmed, if Senga, who left a record of 87 wins, 44 losses and an average ERA of 2.59 in Nippon Professional Baseball, joins, Japan’s power will become even stronger.
‘TNC TV West Japan’ said, “For Senga, who is in his first year in the major leagues, it is a priority to adjust in a new environment. Senga also said ‘I can’t go’ for the Japanese round.” It is expected that he will join from the quarterfinals,” he explained.
Senga said, “I think what coach Kuriyama thinks is important. I want to play baseball with Darvish.” I am happy,” he added, expressing his happy feelings of succeeding in entering the major leagues.