Masataka Yoshida played a remarkable role in the fifth World Baseball Classic, performing at a level that rivaled even Shohei Ohtani’s impact for Team Japan.

At the time, Yoshida was preparing for his very first Major League season with the Boston Red Sox.

Many players in his situation might have chosen to skip the tournament in order to focus on adjusting to Major League Baseball.

But Yoshida decided to participate anyway because, as he explained, “Ever since I was little, the WBC had always been something I admired — a huge dream.”

Ohtani felt exactly the same way.

Even during his years in Japan, he often described the WBC not simply as a goal, but as something he had long admired.

For Japanese baseball players, the tournament had already become one of the greatest stages imaginable.

And much of that passion traced back to one unforgettable moment.

During the 2009 WBC final against South Korea, Ichiro Suzuki delivered the dramatic hit that secured Japan’s championship.

At the time, the WBC was still a very young tournament, having only been held twice.

Whether it would grow into a lasting global event or gradually fade away depended heavily on the passion of the players and the emotional power of the games themselves.

Ichiro’s hit — and Japan’s back-to-back championships — left a deep impression on countless children watching around the world.

Ohtani understood that legacy.

He wanted today’s children to experience the same excitement and inspiration that he once felt watching Ichiro.

And he believed that if players continued pouring genuine passion into the tournament, future generations would inherit those emotions as well.

That is why Ohtani said:

“If we truly focus on it ourselves, then 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, hopefully the tournament will become even greater and greater.”

For Ohtani, the WBC is not only about winning championships.

It is about building something meaningful for the future of baseball itself.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Number 1069, p.15