Robert Whiting's Japan

Robert Whiting's Japan

Share this post

Robert Whiting's Japan
Robert Whiting's Japan
WBC title is great for Japan, but NPB needs to concentrate on enhancing its product going forward

WBC title is great for Japan, but NPB needs to concentrate on enhancing its product going forward

Robert Whiting's avatar
Robert Whiting
Mar 22, 2023
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

Robert Whiting's Japan
Robert Whiting's Japan
WBC title is great for Japan, but NPB needs to concentrate on enhancing its product going forward
4
Share

TOKYO — Samurai Japan dominated the 2023 WBC all the way to the final game, beating the United States 3-2, and the Japanese sports world has been fixated on them. The incomparable Shohei Ohtani was featured on the front pages of the sports dailies for days on end. I must admit that I was swept up the hysteria as well. The brilliant play of the team was fun to watch.

One could argue that Samurai Japan has the three best —or three of the best—pitchers in the world, in the charismatic Ohtani, 21-year old fireballing sensation Roki Sasaki, and the veteran Yu Darvish. Throw in P.L. MVP pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and you have a team that could win the WBC on pitching alone. They also have a Triple Crown winner in Munetaka Murakami, untested against MLB-style 100 mph pitchers, and an outfielder named Masataka Yoshida, reminiscent of a young Norichika Aoki, if slightly overpaid by the Boston Red Sox on his first big league contract.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Robert Whiting's Japan to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Robert Whiting
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share