Bungeishunju's Comprehensive Sports Magazine 'Sports Graphic Number' Issue 1140 <MLB Opening & WBC Compilation: Shohei Ohtani Made the World Get Serious.> on Sale Thursday, March 26!
Bungeishunju will release 'Sports Graphic Number' Issue 1140 on March 26. Featuring an MLB Opening and WBC compilation, it explores the evolving baseball world centered around Shohei Ohtani.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 27, 2026 at 23:43
- 🔍 Collected: March 28, 2026 at 21:59 (22h 15m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 25, 2026 at 04:54 (654h 55m after Collected)
Bungeishunju Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Shigeyuki Iikubo) will release the comprehensive sports magazine "Sports Graphic Number" Issue 1140 on Thursday, March 26.
■ Comments from Number 1140 Desk Editor, Kohei Tamura
Shohei Ohtani once said the following in an interview with Number:
"Right now, I have the feeling that I'm able to adapt to my environment. As ideas about batting and pitching change with the times, I feel I am successfully adapting to those changes while doing what I want to do within myself." (Issue 1116)
The 6th WBC, where Samurai Japan's dream of consecutive championships was shattered in the quarterfinals, became a tournament where we acutely felt the "changes" in Major League Baseball. Compared to the previous tournament three years ago, various things have changed, including the speed of play, the strike zone, rules, equipment, and the use of data. Despite having Ohtani, who stands at the pinnacle of the current "environment", the Japanese national team, with a majority of players from NPB, was arguably in a difficult situation with the world's largest gap in adaptation within the team.
This is also vividly detailed in "Head Coach Makoto Kaneko's Diary" published in this issue. It serves as a valuable document chronicling Coach Kaneko's account of Samurai Japan's struggles from the Miyazaki training camp in February to the game against Venezuela on March 14.
Furthermore, pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who granted us an interview after the tournament, said, "The Major Leagues are evolving at about five times the speed of the Japanese baseball world." He notes that he sees players, especially those from Central and South America, dedicating themselves more thoroughly than Japanese players to their diet, sleep, and fundamental practice on a daily basis. A glimpse of this was evident in the meticulous baseball played by Venezuela, who won the WBC.
With the globally celebrated WBC concluded, the 2026 MLB season begins. Through the coverage in this issue, we also saw how rivals who were denied the MVP by Ohtani have been fueled by a competitive spirit, and how the Blue Jays, competing with the Dodgers to be the best in the world, have pioneered their own unique strengthening route—indeed showing aspects of how Ohtani is raising the level of Major League Baseball. Reading this will help you understand the current standing of Ohtani and Japan in the baseball world today; it's that kind of special feature.
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Sports Graphic Number Issue 1140
MLB Opening & WBC Compilation: Shohei Ohtani Made the World Get Serious.
【CONTENTS】
SPECIAL FEATURES
[WBC Final Report] Text by Ayako Oikawa
Venezuela's Stratagem That Shut Down America
[WBC Document] Text by Yuta Ishida
Shohei Ohtani: "Even After Defeat"
[Special Interview] Text by Keizo Konishi
Yusei Kikuchi: "To Catch Up with the Majors"
[Heading into the Final Year of His Contract] Text by Koji Sasada
Seiya Suzuki: "What I Need to Do Hasn't Changed"
[Aiming for the First World Championship in 33 Years...