TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Yusei Kikuchi #17 (C) of Team Japan meets with teammates at the mound during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Yusei Kikuchi #17 (2R) of Team Japan meets with teammates at the mound during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan hits a single in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan hits a single in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan hits a single in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan hits a single in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan hits a single in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Shay Whitcomb #10 of Team Republic of Korea reacts after strikes out in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between South Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)