One Week To Go: World Baseball Classic to open in Tokyo with Group C action

The sixth World Baseball Classic is set to open on Thursday, March 5, with Group C action at the Tokyo Dome. World No. 1 Japan will host No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 4 Korea, No. 11 Australia and No. 15 Czechia.

Japan, the defending champions of the World Baseball Classic, and the WBSC Premier12 2024 winners Chinese Taipei are the clear favourites. They will face each other on March 6.

Japan

Perennial MVP Shohei Ohtani will headline Japan's roster. The two-way phenom will be limited to designated hitter duties and won't take the mound during the tournament.

Still, Japan will count on a solid pitching staff with a pair of aces on top of the rotation, such as Olympic gold medallist Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the 2025 Sawamura Award winner Hiromi Itoh.

Another Tokyo 2020 gold medallist, Munetaka Murakami, will start his new MLB career after the World Baseball Classic. He will provide power in the middle of the batting order together with Terauki Sato, a 40-home run hitter in the 2025 NPB season, and former Premier12 MVP Seyia Suzuki, who missed the 2023 edition due to an injury.

Chinese Taipei

Chinese Taipei made a pair of intriguing additions to their Premier12-winning roster. Jonathan Long hit 20 home runs at Triple-A for the Chicago Cubs in 2025 while playing 115 games at first base and splitting the rest of his playing time between left field, third base and DH. Outfielder Stuart Fairchild appeared in 28 MLB games for the Atlanta Braves.

WBSC Premier12 MVP Chieh-Hsien Chen will captain the team again.

Korea

Veteran left-hander Hyun-jin Ryu, a Beijing 2008 Olympics gold medallist, is back on Korea's roster.

Former World Series winner Dane Dunning and St.Louis Cardinals right-hander Riley Chun-Young O'Brien will bring some MLB experience to the bullpen.

Shay Whitcomb can play all the infield positions and hit 25 home runs at Triple-A for the Houston Astros, and earned a promotion to the Big League team. Outfielder Jahmai Jones hit seven home runs in 72 games for the Detroit Tigers in 2025.

Australia

Australia will participate with a young roster, including 13 players aged 26 or younger. Infielder Travis Bazzana and catcher Alex Hall have starred in recent editions of the WBSC U-18 and U-23 World Cups.

The Aussies have MLB experience in infielder Curtis Mead, outfielder Aaron Whitefield and pitchers Alexander Wells, Warwick Saupold, and Jack O’Loughlin. Saupold and Whitefield played for Australia at the WBSC Premier12 2024.

Manager and former MLB All-Star David Nilsson said that "it's not about individuals. It's about having a sum of parts that can execute towards a collective goal and by playing as a team."

Czechia

A fan favourite in Japan, Czechia is the group's underdog.

Manager Pavel Chadim still has a roster with plenty of international experience, including catcher Martin Cervenka and former WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup stars Vojtech Mensik and Marek Chlup.

The new face will be second baseman Terrin Vavra, a 28-year-old left-handed hitter who played at the MLB level for the Baltimore Orioles and has over 400 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) games, including 203 at Triple-A.