Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata (50) announced on March 16 the 11 additional members of Japan's national team for the 6th World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. Seibu Lions Sosuke Genda infielder (32) was selected for the previous tournament in 2023 as a regular short stop and contributed to the victory despite a broken bone. I want to understand the role I am expected to play, and I want to play one by one to help the team win," commented the veteran, who will be playing in his second consecutive tournament.

short stop Genda, one of the most defense powerful players in Japanese baseball, contributed to the gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics in 2009 and made his first appearance in the WBC in 2011. He broke the little finger on his right hand when he returned to second base against Korea in the first round, but he volunteered and continued to play in the tournament, contributing to the first championship in three games. In the semifinal against Mexico, he created momentum for a comeback win with a play that turned the tide: with three runs behind and one out in the seventh inning, he defense hitter The first baseman, who had struck out started the inning, made a tricky move by sliding headfirst into second base runner and pulling his left hand back to avoid Genda's touch. Once ruled safe, it was ruled out on replay verification. Genda's glove touched Genda's left foot at the moment when runner 's right hand, which once touched the base, left slightly, and it was called "Genda's 1 mm".

Last season, he struggled, batting .209 in 104 games, but his stable defense and extensive experience earned him a place on the national team. Manager Ibata revealed that when he contacted him last fall, "he said he wanted to participate in the fall training because he wanted to 'train again.' We had a discussion about him getting back in shape there." The star player, who vowed to be selected again in three years immediately after the last tournament, will once again aim for the world championship.

◆Genda Sosuke: Born February 16, 1993 in Oita Prefecture. 32 years old. Never played Koshien while at Oita Commercial High School. Moved to Toyota Motor Corporation from Aichi Gakuin University, contributed to the team's first victory in the Intercity Baseball Tournament in 2016, and joined Seibu Lions as the third pick in the draft that same year. In his first year, he was named Rookie of the Year. He was stolen base leader once, was named to the Best Nine four times, and won the Golden Glove Award seven times. He has participated in international competitions such as the Premier 12 in 2019, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and the WBC in 2023. He is 179 cm tall and weighs 75 kg. He throws right and bats left.

◆ WBC Japan national team members

★ indicates the players announced this time

[pitcher = 10]

1. Yuki Matsui (Padres)

14. Taikai Ito (Nippon-Ham)

15. Large group (The Giants)

16. Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)

17 Yusei Kikuchi (Angels)

19. Tomoyuki Sugano (Orioles free agent)

26. Atsuki Taneichi (Lotte)

61. Kaima Taira (Seibu Lions)

66 ★ Yuki Matsumoto (Softbank Hawks)

69. Daichi Ishii (Hanshin Tigers)

[catcher = 2]

4. Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes)

12 ★Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers)

[infielder = 4]

2. Hideto Maki (DeNA)

5. Taisei Makihara (Softbank Hawks)

6. Sosuke Genda (Seibu Lions)

7 ★ Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers)

[outfielder = 3]

8. Kensuke Kondo (Softbank Hawks)

20 ★ Yukio Shuto (Softbank Hawks)

23 ★ Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers)

*The number before the name is number