It is safe to say that no baseball historian ever predicted there would be a player who would be a contender for the greatest of all time at just 30 years of age. After coming over from Japan and completing eight historic seasons in the MLB, Shohei Ohtani has done just that.
Having to face Ohtani as a pitcher under any circumstance has to be a terrible feeling. Having to face him with the bases loaded has to be an absolute nightmare. It did not take long for Taipei to find themselves living that nightmare against Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
In the top of the second inning, Ohtani stepped in the box in a scoreless game. The superstar slugger worked himself into a favorable 2-1 count and then did exactly what you would expect him to. The results of this early at-bat raised a lot of questions.
SHOHEI OHTANI GRAND SLAM! #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC pic.twitter.com/z0BXjlYInF
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 6, 2026
In the blink of an eye, Taipei vs. Japan went from a scoreless affair to a 4-0 Japan advantage. It is apparent that the obvious mindset of avoiding Ohtani was not discussed thoroughly. If it were, we would have seen something that we haven't in many years.
Teams at the World Baseball Classic shouldn't pitch to Shohei Ohtani
Ever heard of a guy named Barry Bonds? Well, he hit baseballs as violently as Ohtani does on a consistent basis and it got to the point where teams decided that they were going to intentionally walk him, even in unimaginable situations. Prime example: with the bases loaded.
Ohtani's second-inning grand slam gave Japan the momentum they needed to ride out a 13-0 victory. Not saying the results of the game would have been any different but it could have been far more competitive if Taipei had made what should have been an obvious decision.
Ohtani is such a dangerous hitter that with the bases loaded he is more than likely going to get at least two runs in with a hit, if not all of them. With the slugger proving that time and time again, it feels like he should have been intentionally walked in this situation.
It is understandable that it feels wrong to intentionally walk in the first run of the game but facing Ohtani with runners in scoring position is all about damage control. If Ohtani is walked in this situation, with one out, the double play is still in order for the next hitter and it could turn out to be just a one-run inning.
The type of pitch that Ohtani deposited into the right field seats also provides support that simply avoiding him is the best strategy, especially in particular matchups. A 2-1 breaking ball at 77 miles per hour is like throwing batting practice to potentially the greatest hitter our game has ever seen.
Of course fans want to see Ohtani continue displaying his magic throughout the WBC but if opposing teams are truly looking to compete against Japan, managers should be holding up the number four before he even steps into the batter's box.