Which pitcher is most untouchable for the Japan Samurai team? The answer is Shohei Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani is currently leading the offense for the Japan Samurai team in the World Baseball Classic, but this two-way superstar is also preparing for his pitching duties in the 2026 MLB season.

Today, during a training day ahead of Japan's quarterfinal match against Venezuela, Ohtani threw four innings of live batting practice to Japan Samurai team hitters at the quarterfinal venue in Miami. He threw 59 pitches, faced 18 batters, and recorded seven strikeouts.

Although Ohtani is away from spring training due to participating in the Classic, this session is part of his preparation to be ready for the Dodgers' regular season opener on March 26.

"I've been making personal adjustments for pitching alongside the tournament schedule," Ohtani said in Japanese after the session. "I feel I achieved good results in terms of pitch count and quality. I feel I am fully preparing for the new season."

Ohtani is only batting, not pitching, in this edition of the Classic. Of course, in the 2023 previous Classic, he both pitched and hit, and in the championship game he struck out his then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to secure victory for Japan.

But considering Ohtani's recovery from elbow surgery during the 2025 season followed by a long postseason run with the Dodgers, he is taking a cautious approach in his first full two-way season with the Dodgers. This means he is not pitching in the high-intensity Classic games.

Even though Japan has advanced to the 2026 Classic knockout stage, Ohtani's plan remains unchanged. Throwing live batting practice during the tournament is for Dodgers preparation, not for preparing to start a Classic game. Ohtani reiterated today that he will still not pitch in the tournament this year.

"At present, pitching in the Classic is impossible," Ohtani said. "This is also an agreement with the team, and part of it feels like showing sincerity to the team that allowed me to come. I think it's best to first steadily contribute on the offensive side."

Ohtani explained that the only scenario that might change this plan would be an unexpected wave of injuries among Japan's pitchers.

"Regarding anything, I don't want to absolutely say the possibility is zero," Ohtani said. "But under the current circumstances, I don't think it will happen."

Since returning to the mound on June 16 last year, Ohtani started 14 regular-season games and 4 postseason games for the Dodgers. He accumulated 67.1 innings pitched with a 3.34 ERA and 90 strikeouts.

Ohtani stated that he and the Dodgers reached a mutual understanding about him not pitching in the 2026 Classic, and he has no regrets about it. He held multiple meetings with the team before the Classic specifically to agree on his usage plan.

"I have no dissatisfaction about not being able to pitch in the Classic," Ohtani said. "I want to do the work I can do. Even without me pitching, Japan has excellent pitchers. We saw that in the Tokyo pool play, and I personally have great confidence in that."

"Showing other countries that there are such outstanding pitchers among Japan's young players is also something I personally look forward to."