Dodgers star homers and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki goes deep twice in an 8-6 pool-play victory over South Korea; Dodgers’ Hyeseong Kim hits a home run in the loss.

Japan’s 2026 World Baseball Classic opening game had several familiar celebrity faces in the crowd as Shohei Ohtani dazzled his home fans Friday. Ohtani and Japan kicked off their WBC title defence this week against Chinese Taipei.

Shohei Ohtani provided the first electric moment of the World Baseball Classic with a grand slam, three years after he capped the last WBC by striking out Mike Trout.

The defending champs and the most talented baseball player on the planet make for a dangerous combination. On Friday night, Samurai Japan began its World Baseball Classic title defense, taking on a Chinese Taipei team that upset it in the 2024 Premier12 tournament.

After putting on a show in batting practice, the Dodgers’ superstar hits a grand slam and teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the win in a 13-0 rout in Tokyo.

Shohei Ohtani getting support from Drake and Ann Michael Maye is raising eyebrows among American baseball fans.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic continued Friday with Japan, the Dominican Republic and the United States among the teams beginning pool play. The eight-game schedule began with Shohei Ohtani’s offensive exploits at the Tokyo Dome.