Major League Baseball Angels general manager Minasian revealed in an interview on the 28th that Shohei Ohtani called to discuss his relief pitch the day before the final of the WBC = World Baseball Classic.
The Angels had allowed Ohtani to play as a pitcher for the Japan team before the WBC tournament, but Nevin had indicated that he would only be used as a starter as a pitcher.
Meanwhile, general manager Minassian revealed that Ohtani called him directly the day before the final, saying, "I had a short discussion with him. If you want to be a reliever and your body is fine, I'm in favor.' Shohei wanted to play against that batting line, and more than anything, he wanted to win the championship."
After consulting directly with the team's top general manager, Ohtani took the mound in the ninth inning with a one-run lead in the final against the United States, and finally got a strikeout from his Angels teammate Trout to clinch the championship.
Commenting on the showdown, Minassian said: "It was a great showdown, I was excited, and it was great for the baseball world. The two of them, as well as Coach Gil, who coached the Mexico National Team, and Sandoval, who started the semi-final against Japan, all of us did our part to make the tournament the best it could be."