Bungeishunju's Sports Graphic Number Issue 1140, 'MLB Opening & WBC Special: Shohei Ohtani Made the World Take Baseball Seriously,' to be released on March 26 (Thursday)!

Bungeishunju Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Shigeyuki Iikubo) will release the sports magazine 'Sports Graphic Number' Issue 1140, titled 'MLB Opening & WBC Special: Shohei Ohtani Made the World Take Baseball Seriously,' on March 26. ■ Comment from Kohei Tamura, Desk Editor for Number Issue 1140 Shohei Ohtani once said in a Number interview: 'I feel like I have adapted to my current environment. As the philosophies of batting and pitching change with the times, I feel that while adapting to those changes, I am able to do what I want to do within myself.' (Issue 1116) The 6th WBC, where Samurai Japan saw their dreams of consecutive titles dashed in the quarterfinals, became a tournament where we truly felt the 'changes' in Major League Baseball. Compared to the previous tournament three years ago, everything from the speed of play, strike zones, and rules to equipment and data usage has changed. I suspect that the Japan national team, which was composed mostly of NPB players while boasting Ohtani—who stands at the pinnacle of the current 'environment'—faced a difficult situation with the greatest disparity in internal adaptation in the world. This is vividly documented in the 'Head Coach Makoto Kaneko's Diary' featured in this issue. It serves as a valuable record of Samurai Japan's struggles from the Miyazaki training camp in February to the Venezuela game on March 14. Additionally, pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who gave an interview after the tournament, said, 'Major League Baseball is evolving about five times faster than the Japanese baseball world.' He mentioned that he sees players from Central and South America working more thoroughly on diet, sleep, and basic training than Japanese players every day. A glimpse of this was also seen in the precise baseball played by the champion, Venezuela. With the exciting WBC over, the 2026 MLB season begins. Through our reporting for this issue, we have seen how rivals who were denied the MVP by Ohtani are burning with competitive spirit, and how the Blue Jays, who are competing with the Dodgers for the world title, are pioneering their own unique strengthening strategies. It has become clear that Ohtani is indeed raising the level of Major League Baseball. This special feature will help you understand the current position of Ohtani and Japan in the baseball world. Sports Graphic Number Issue 1140 MLB Opening & WBC Special: Shohei Ohtani Made the World Take Baseball Seriously. 【CONTENTS】 SPECIAL FEATURES [WBC Final Report] Text by Ayako Oikawa Venezuela's Strategy to Shut Down America [WBC Document] Text by Yuta Ishida Shohei Ohtani: 'Even in Defeat' [Special Interview] Text by Keizo Konishi Yusei Kikuchi: 'To Catch Up to the Majors' [Towards the Final Year of the Contract] Text by Koji Sasada Seiya Suzuki: 'What I Do Won't Change' [Towards the First World Title in 33 Years...]