Baseball

Samurai Japan Holds First Practice in Miami; Team Will Play against Venezuela in Quarterfinals on Saturday

Takanobu Sawano / The Yomiuri Shimbun
Shohei Ohtani, right, and Seiya Suzuki smile during a practice session after arriving in Miami on Wednesday.

By Yu Hirasawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:11 JST, March 12, 2026

MIAMI — Samurai Japan, which has advanced to the final eight of the World Baseball Classic, held its first practice in Miami on Wednesday.

The team had arrived in the city — set to be the venue for its quarterfinal matchup — earlier that morning. Some players, including Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays, took part in a voluntary practice session. Ohtani was seen warming up by playing catch.

Japan, which is aiming for its second consecutive title in the tournament, will play its quarterfinal game on Saturday (Sunday Japan time).

In Pool B, Italy defeated Mexico, its fourth consecutive win, to finish at the top of the group, while the United States, which finished with a 3-1 record, advanced to the quarterfinals as the runner-up. Japan’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be Venezuela, which qualified as the runner-up from Pool D.