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

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.