Japan's WBC team Softbank Hawks and Kensuke Kondo outfielder (32) came forward as the first hitter of the Samurai on the 27th. He held a talk show with Ryota Igarashi, 46, an alumnus of the team, in Fukuoka Prefecture. 同氏が１番を推奨すると、自身も「出塁するというところでは一番生かせるのかなと思います」と乗り気だった。 He added, "Even if I die, I don't want to bat behind Otani. It's too heavy a load," he said, rejecting the batting order immediately following the strongest hitter.

In the previous tournament in 2011, Nutobar, Kondo, and Otani were fixed from No. 1 to No. 3. Murakami was initially assigned the No. 4 spot behind Ohtani, but he fell into an extreme slump, and Yoshida took over the No. 4 spot from the quarterfinals. Even Betts seems to have a tough time," he said, referring to the MLB star who is struggling at No. 2 behind Ohtani with the Dodgers, and emphasizing how difficult the role is. What we have to think about most is who will bat after Shohei (Ohtani). （I think only Seiya (Suzuki), Murakami, and Okamoto can hit. hitter I think the rest will be decided by which batting order of those two (Otani and behind him) we can fit into the lineup.

Ohtani is a valuable person with whom he can talk freely, as he is a senior from his time with Nippon-Ham. "He was a big focus last time too, but he has become an even more amazing player in these past three years," he said, acknowledging that Ohtani has grown even more, but their relationship remains unchanged. "It would be a problem if it had changed. I hope he will provide proper guidance in that regard," he added, indicating that he is also expected to act as a bridge between them.

Last year, he underwent back surgery and was unable to reach the required number of plate appearances, but he is a genius hitter who has had an on-base percentage of over .400 for nine consecutive years. "In this tournament, I'm one of the older players. I feel that position, and I want to work hard towards winning the championship again, feeling a new amount of pressure." He aims for the top once again with his junior, whom he calls "the world's No. 1 player." (Koichiro Shimao)