Japan baseball team final roster announced, aiming for consecutive Premier12 wins
Japan baseball team final roster announced, aiming for consecutive Premier12 wins
Blog Article
The Japanese national baseball team, aiming for its second consecutive championship at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, confirmed its final 28-man entry list and announced it on the 9th.
There are eight players who have experience competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 and the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and 10 players who were part of the Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) held last year.
There were 10 players selected for the national team for the first time, and similar to the Korean national baseball team, they put effort into generational change.
Power hitter Munetaka Murakami (Yakult Swallows), who injured his toe, and hard-throwing pitcher Rocky Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marlins), who threw a 165 km/h fastball, were dropped from the national team.
Among the pitchers, there are three players who won the WBC last year: Hiromi Ito (Nippon Ham Fighters), Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi), and Shosei Togo (Yomiuri). Among the infielders, there are three players who won the WBC last year: Shugo Maki (Yokohama Dena BayStars), Sosuke Genda (Seibu Lions), and Kazuma Okamoto (Yomiuri).
Japanese national baseball team manager Hirokazu Ibata said in a press conference, "I think this is a balanced selection of players. Japanese baseball can only remain strong if young players continue to emerge, so 스포츠 I have high expectations for the players who were selected for the first time this time."
Okamoto was chosen as the candidate for the 4th hitter.
Coach Ibata said, "He is a trustworthy player who thinks of the team first. The most likely candidate for number 4 right now is Okamoto."
The Korean national baseball team won the first Premier 12 tournament in 2015, and Japan won the second tournament in 2019 by defeating Korea in the final.
The Premier 12, now in its third year, opens on the 9th of next month.
The Korean national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Joong-il, announced its preliminary roster (60 players) on the 12th of last month and will soon finalize and announce the final roster.