Many Major League players participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but strict rules existed regarding when they were allowed to appear in games.

Yu Darvish joined Japan’s training camp in Miyazaki from February and had a major positive influence on the younger pitchers.

Shohei Ohtani, however, remained in Arizona, continuing his preparation independently in the United States.

The reason was simple:

He was not allowed to play in official exhibition games yet.

At first glance, it may have seemed strange.

After all, Japan’s camp included practice games against farm-team players from NPB organizations, which would still have allowed Ohtani to get live at-bats and innings on the mound.

But Ohtani viewed the situation differently.

He explained:

“If I step into the batter’s box against minor league pitchers from Japanese teams, it becomes harder to tell whether what I’m doing right now is truly correct at the same level as in previous years. As a hitter, if the competition isn’t at the highest level, it becomes difficult to fully understand where my condition actually stands.”

In other words, the problem was not simply getting repetitions.

The problem was the quality of feedback.

Against lower-level competition, a slightly misplaced pitch might still result in an out.

Likewise, as a hitter, Ohtani might still produce hits even if his mechanics or timing were not truly sharp.

That creates dangerous ambiguity.

It can produce confidence without accuracy.

And for an athlete who constantly evaluates himself against the highest standards in the world, that uncertainty becomes a problem.

Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama wanted Ohtani to arrive at the tournament in peak condition.

Ohtani believed the best way to achieve that was not through easier competition, but through facing elite Major League hitters and pitchers in America while carefully monitoring his own condition.

His preparation was never based on convenience or appearances.

Every decision was connected to one objective:

Winning the tournament at the highest possible level.

Source

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

Number 1069, p.12