Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was among eight players named Friday in Samurai Japan's initial roster announcement for March's World Baseball Classic.Ohtani led Japan to the previous WBC championship in 2023 and was named most valuable player of the tournament for his outstanding two-way performance as a pitcher and a batter.Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata announced two other current major league players -- Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi and San Diego Padres reliever Yuki Matsui -- as confirmed for the 2026 WBC roster.The five other players were all pitc…READ FULL ARTICLE