2019–2023: Remembering the Era of Samurai Japan

When Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout on March 21, 2023, he was not aware that one of the most remarkable runs in modern baseball history was coming to an end. From 2019 to 2023, Japan’s senior team won the WBSC Premier12 in 2019, the Olympic gold medal in 2021, and the World Baseball Classic in 2023, holding every senior-level title during that period and into 2024.

WBSC Premier12 2019

After a heartbreaking elimination from the WBSC Premier12 2015 in the semifinals at the hands of Korea, Japan returned to the second edition of the WBSC Premier12 in 2019 as the favourite, with a strong roster filled with young superstars, including Seiya Suzuki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Masataka Yoshida, and Shota Imanaga, among others. They led the team to an impressive 7–1 record - only defeat was to USA in the Super Round - and captured the Global Baseball Battle title in an exciting final, again against Korea.

Tokyo 2020

After the pandemic, Japan took on the next challenge at home, aiming to win Olympic gold. A perfect 5–0 run led them to the title, with a roster highlighted by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Seiya Suzuki, Masataka Yoshida, and Munetaka Murakami. In a tight, intense game, Japan defeated USA 2–0 to secure the gold medal - their first in the Olympic Games after bronze in 1992 and 2004 as well as a silver medal in 1996.

World Baseball Classic

Everyone remembers Ohtani striking out Trout to close another perfect run for Japan, which accumulated an impressive 19–1 record across these three tournaments. Once again, Yoshida and Yamamoto were part of a team featuring Ohtani, Murakami, and the electric Roki Sasaki, among others.

The youngsters complete the domination

At one point, Japan held every major international title except for the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, explaining why they have held the No. 1 ranking in the WBSC Men's Baseball World Ranking, which includes points from tournaments across all age groups, since the end of 2014. The Japanese programme won the U-15 Baseball World Cup in 2024, a title they still hold, as well as the U-18 in 2023 and the U-23 in both 2022 and 2024, another title they continue to hold.

By October 2024, Japan held an impressive collection of titles: U-15, U-18, and U-23 Baseball World Cups, the Olympic gold medal, the World Baseball Classic, and the Premier12. Adding the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup completes a near-total domination of the international stage, with the only exception being the U-12 category.

Although Japan has since lost the Premier12 and World Baseball Classic titles, they are still the defending Olympic champions, and also hold the U-15 and U-23 titles - an impressive résumé for a programme ready to make another run at global dominance.