The world's coolest and most talented player will return to the World Baseball Classic. Monday evening, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announced on social media that he will represent Japan in next spring's 2026 WBC. Ohtani was named MVP of the 2023 WBC, most notably striking out then- Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to close out the Championship Game.

"Happy to play and represent Japan again," Ohtani wrote. Here is his announcement:

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A post shared by Shohei Ohtani | 大谷翔平 (@shoheiohtani)

Ohtani hit .435/.606/.739 with four doubles, a home run, and 10 walks in seven games in the 2023 WBC. He also pitched to a 1.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 9 ⅔ innings. Ohtani was, truly, the best hitter and pitcher in the last WBC. He was expected to p

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