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By Tyler Erzberger
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Shohei Ohtani wants to make history in the World Baseball Classic knockout stage.
After leading all players in the group stage in OPS, the reigning WBC MVP wants to make it back-to-back international titles as the Samurai Japan begin their quest for a fifth WBC crown on Saturday against Venezuela.
While he's leading all players in hitting, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace is also working on his pitching heading into a possible three-peat season for the NL West king.
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On Wednesday, during a workout in Miami, Ohtani threw the equivalent of four innings in a live bullpen session. He threw 59 pitches against 18 batters, struck out seven, and broke a couple of bats, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.
The scintillating throwing session had reporters wondering whether it could mean Ohtani might take the mound in the semifinals or finals if Japan makes it that far. Ohtani's close friend and Dodgers teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is already scheduled to face Venezuela over the weekend before returning to Dodgers spring training.
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Instead of playing up the dramatics or forcing the other teams in the competition to be wary, Ohtani shut down any rumors or speculation that he might pitch in the WBC.
Ohtani re-established that there is "no chance" he will pitch in the tournament, reports Gonzalez.
The Dodgers and Ohtani met before the WBC to discuss his participation, and both sides concluded that pitching wouldn't be in either of their best interests heading into what could be a historic MLB season.
Ohtani, who has won four MVPs and back-to-back National League awards, is openly hunting for the last piece of hardware to elude him: a Cy Young.
With his mind on another WBC title, a Cy Young, and a monumental third-straight World Series crown, Ohtani will hope his bat is enough to lead Samurai Japan to another global title in a week.
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