Spanish
MIAMI.— Japan confirmed that star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the starter for the game against Venezuela in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, a match scheduled for Saturday at loanDepot park in Miami.
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The announcement was made by Japanese leader Hirokazu Ibata during the team's training session, noting that the right-hander will be in charge of opening a decisive duel that will define who qualifies for the tournament's semifinals. Ibata made it clear that he fully trusts his opener and that there will be no special restrictions beyond the limit established by the championship regulations. "There really is no limit. I think he'll just go out there and throw everything from the start. Of course, we hope he can work as deep into the game as possible," the leader expressed. Yamamoto already had a brief performance in the tournament when he opened Japan's first game against Chinese Taipei, where he pitched 2.2 innings without allowing runs or hits, with two strikeouts and three walks. The Japanese team reaches this stage after dominating the group stage with a perfect 4-0 record, showing a solid combination of offense and collective pitching. Regarding the commitment against Venezuela, the Japanese leader was also asked about the possibility of using the left-handed Yusei Kikuchi as a reliever for Yamamoto, although he avoided giving details about the handling of the bullpen. "After Yamamoto, I haven't thought about it yet. It's a quarter-final game and we'll have to use all the pitchers we have available," he indicated. Japan comes to the match with one of the best rotations of the tournament and will seek to rely on its ace of the mound to advance to the semifinals and continue defending its world title.
