Shohei Ohtani bluntly sums up Team Japan’s defeat to Venezuela in the WBC

Up 5-2 heading into the fifth inning on Saturday, the game was going well for Team Japan as they looked to advance to the World Baseball Classic semifinals in routine fashion. In WBC history, Japan had never failed to reach the semifinals. Team Venezuela didn't get the memo that Japan should be penciled into the semis, however.

From the fifth inning on, Venezuela managed to score six runs while preventing Japan from plating a single runner, a triumph for the Venezuelan offense as well as their relief corps. Down three runs in the ninth, Shohei Ohtani came to plate, representing the last ember of hope for the Samurai, an ember that quickly burned out as the reigning MVP sent a high pop fly to shallow center field. And with the final out, the defending champs watched as their WBC run came to an abrupt end.

Shohei Ohtani gives honest opinion of Japan’s 2026 WBC run 

After the game, the feeling of disappointment permeated the Japanese clubhouse. This disappointment was summed up quite succinctly by Ohtani, who had this to say.

“Truly, anything other than a championship feels like a failure," Ohtani said, via David Adler of mlb.com. Everyone on Team Japan was working hard, aiming only for the championship. …It's unfortunate that it ended this way.”

The game started with a leadoff home run off the bat of Ronald Acuna Jr. Ohtani responded with a leadoff moonshot of his own, tying the game 1-1. On the day, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with an intentional walk and a strikeout. His strikeout in the fourth was only his second of the tournament. He finished the WBC going 6-for-13 with three home runs and five walks (.611 OBP).