Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will play for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he announced on social media Monday night.

Japan will be looking to repeat after winning gold in the 2023 Classic. Ohtani won the tournament's MVP award and memorably struck out former teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the deciding game against Team USA.

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

Ohtani, who returned to the mound this past season after not pitching for nearly two years following a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament. He did not say in his post whether he would be pitching for Japan.

The WBC kicks off on March 5, with Japan beginning group play in Pool C along with Australia, South Korea, Czechia and Chin

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