Ahead of the WBC = World Baseball Classic, which will start in March, Koji Yamamoto, who served as the manager of the Japanese national team in the third tournament, visited the WBC exhibition held in Tokyo and said, I want you to do your best as one," I sent an ale.

The WBC special exhibition began on the 23rd at the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.



On the first day, the 23rd, Mr. Yamamoto, who coached the Japanese national team in the 3rd tournament, visited as a guest.



At the venue, there are about 140 WBC-related items, such as the winning trophies from the 1st tournament in 2006 and the 2nd tournament in 2009, which Japan won, and the winning ball from the 3rd tournament that Mr. Yamamoto was the manager of. The dots were on display, and Mr. Yamamoto looked at each one carefully, saying, "That's amazing. It's nostalgic."

Based on his own experience, Mr. Yamamoto said of the WBC, "I still remember the pressure and tension of having to carry the Japanese flag on my back and win. You never know what will happen at the WBC. It wasn't an easy match." rice field.



Regarding the Japan national team for this year's tournament, he said, "When you look at the members, it's not surprising that anyone could become a hero. In addition to superstars such as Shohei Otani and Yu Darvish, top players from Japan will be competing. It's a really amazing member." showed hope.

On top of that, for the first time in three tournaments, he said, "Of course, people expect to be the best in the world, but winning is not that easy. It's a short-term decisive battle, so it's necessary for the team to become one. I think we have all the players who know what they will do for the team to win, even if it means making sacrifices, so I want them to work hard with one mind.”

In the first round of the WBC at the Tokyo Dome, Japan in Group B

will face


China on the 9th of next month,


South Korea on the 10th,


the Czech Republic on the 11th , and Australia on the 12th.


[NHK special site] WBC2023 latest information, special features, schedule, etc.