The driving force behind the team's first victory in three tournaments was pitcher staff, which overwhelmed other teams

The 2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC (hereafter referred to as WBC) is fast approaching in March. Samurai Japan won their third championship in three tournaments in the last tournament, and the driving force behind this was pitcher staff. As shown in the table above, teams that made it to the top four in the last tournament had outstanding numbers in every category. Looking at all 20 teams, they ranked first in ERA and BB rate, and second in strike out rate, making this a tournament where the efforts of pitcher staff shone through. In this article, we'll unravel the factors that made Samurai Japan's pitcher so good in the 2023 WBC, and introduce Pacific League pitcher who could perform well if called up for this upcoming tournament. While these pitchers aren't necessarily actual national team players, we hope you enjoy these hypothetical stories.

One of the world's leading fastball powerhouses

Let's start by looking at the data from the previous tournament. One of the key strengths of Samurai Japan's pitcher is the average speed of fastballs, such as fastball and two seam fastball. Because each team brings together the best pitcher, the average speed of the entire tournament is faster than the NPB average from 2023 to 2025. The average speed of the teams that advanced to the quarterfinals was 3.6 km/h higher. However, they were also facing top-notch hitter. Throughout the tournament, fastballs below 150 km/h were hit with Avg of .349 and a slugging percentage of .535, a significant difference from the batting average of .251 and .380 against Avg above 150 km/h. This means that it is a high-level battle where mediocre pitching speeds are no match. Despite this, Samurai Japan recorded an average speed of 153.1 km/h, third out of all 20 teams. The tournament's powerful arm group overpowered hitter.

The shining Samurai pitcher' speciality

Next, if we look at the results of hitter pitches, we see that teams other than Samurai Japan struggled especially with fork and splitter pitches that fall sharply. As if anticipating this trend, the Samurai Japan pitcher team in the previous tournament threw many fork types of pitches. The percentage of pitch pitches was the highest of all teams at 22.2%, more than double that of the second-place South Koreans. fork The "3.5" type of ball can be said to be Samurai Japan's signature ball, and the fact that the teams actively threw this type of ball, which they have trouble dealing with, can be said to have contributed to their good results.

Based on the above, we will now look at three pitcher pitchers who have the characteristics of throwing powerful fastballs and high-quality fork and splitter pitches.

"Doctor K of Makuhari" with three high-quality pitches

First, Chiba Lotte Marines Atsuki Taneichi pitcher. Last season, especially in the second half, he had an ERA of 1.45 and a strike out rate of 11.38. Although the average ball speed of the fastball does not reach 150 km/h, the power is more than the ball speed with a swing rate of 12.4%. In combination with the splitter of the deciding ball, strike out was mass-produced. The slider, another weapon, is also of very high quality, and the swing rate in the second half is 3rd in the league among starter for all three pitches (for pitch numbers of 100 or more). The strike out machine, which controls three high-quality pitches, is truly a perfect pitcher for international competitions. The right-hander has already been announced to join the national team in the advance announcement on December 26 last year, and I hope he will play an active role in the tournament.

Despite only making four appearances last season, his quality was outstanding.

For the second person, I would like to mention pitcher Shumpeita Yamashita of Orix Buffaloes. Last season, due to poor back condition, it was a frustrating season that ended with a total of 4 appearances, 3 starts and 1 reliever, but the numbers left behind are outstanding. The first thing that catches the eye is fastball. The average ball speed of 155.5 km/h as a starter is 2nd place Saitama Seibu Lions Tatsuya Imai pitcher is ranked first in the league with a difference of nearly 3 km/h, and the swing rate of 15.8% is also the top (both for pitch numbers of 100 or more). In addition to such a fastball, Yamashita's pitcher, who also controls fork, which boasts a large drop and a 26.6% swing rate, will be able to overwhelm world-class sluggers.

The "Speed King" awakened with a new pitch

Finally, we would like to introduce Hokkaido Nippon-Ham reliever Yukiya Saito pitcher. Last season, he showed success throughout the season, but the highlight will be his four games at Persol CS Par. hitter played against 14 players and showed a great pitch with hit 0 and strike out 5. The right-hander had a new ball, two seam fastball, which he had started throwing in the middle of the season, as the axis of the pitch in this climax series. two seam fastball is generally used to remove the core of the bat and hit it, but in the case of pitcher Saito, it is characterized by being able to take away the air swing due to its outstanding ball power of 157.3 km/h. In last season's NPB, the average speed of fastballs, including fastball, was Japan pitcher the fastest, and "Speed King" is sure to show imposing pitching even as a member of Samurai Japan.

It is not easy to break into the Samurai Japan pitcher camp, which is full of talented people, but with the three strong personalities introduced this time, they will be able to demonstrate their strength on the highest stage of the WBC. What kind of members will Ibata Japan use to challenge for consecutive championships? I can't wait for the announcement of all national team players, which will be held as early as January.

*All numbers in the text and table are as of the end of the 2025 season.

Moon/Data Stadium