"Sports Graphic Number" Issue 1140 <MLB Opening & WBC Special Edition: Shohei Ohtani Made the World Get Serious> Releases on Thursday, March 26th!

Bungeishunju Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Nariyuki Iikubo) will release issue 1140 of the comprehensive sports magazine "Sports Graphic Number," titled , 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'm able to adapt to the environment now. As batting and pitching philosophies change with the times, I have a sense that I'm able to do what I want while properly adapting to those changes" (from issue 1116).

The 6th WBC, where Samurai Japan's dream of winning back-to-back championships was cut short in the quarterfinals, was a tournament that truly highlighted the "changes" in Major League Baseball. Compared to the previous tournament three years ago, various aspects such as the speed of play, the strike zone, rules, equipment, and the use of data have changed. Despite having Ohtani, who stands at the pinnacle of the current "environment," the Japanese national team, composed mostly of NPB players, likely faced a difficult situation with the most significant adaptation gap within the team in the world.

This is meticulously detailed in the "Head Coach Makoto Kaneko's Diary" featured in this issue. It is a valuable document where Coach Kaneko chronicles the struggles of Samurai Japan from the Miyazaki training camp in February to the game against Venezuela on March 14.

Furthermore, pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who agreed to an interview after the tournament, stated, "Major League Baseball is evolving at about five times the speed of Japanese baseball." He mentioned that he witnesses daily how players, especially from Latin America, are even more dedicated than Japanese players to their diet, sleep, and fundamental training. A glimpse of this was evident in the precise baseball played by WBC champions Venezuela.

As the globally exciting WBC concludes, the 2026 MLB season kicks off. Through the reporting for this issue, it became clear that Ohtani is indeed raising the level of Major League Baseball, with rivals he beat for the MVP award now fired up, and the Blue Jays, who compete with the Dodgers for the World Series, pioneering their own unique development path. This special feature provides an understanding of Ohtani's and Japan's current standing in the baseball world.

"Sports Graphic Number" Issue 1140

MLB Opening & WBC Special Edition: Shohei Ohtani Made the World Get Serious.

【CONTENTS】

SPECIAL FEATURES

[WBC Final Report] Text by Ayako Oikawa

Venezuela's Strategy that Shut Down the USA

[WBC Documentary] Text by Yuta Ishida

Shohei Ohtani "Even in Defeat"

[Special Interview] Text by Keizo Konishi

Yusei Kikuchi "To Catch Up with the Majors"

[Heading into His Final Contract Year] Text by Koji Sasada

Seiya Suzuki "What I Need to Do Doesn't Change"

[Towards the First World Title in 33 Years...]