WBC First Round Group C Taiwan vs Japan (6th, Tokyo Dome)

Samurai Japan outfielder Kensuke Kondo (32) spoke about his enthusiasm for the first game against Taiwan. It will be a "revenge match" against the team he lost to in the 2012 Premier 12 final, but he expressed caution, saying, "I watched the Premier 12 final, and the level of the players coming to Japan recently has been high."

Kondo, who was appointed captain for the second consecutive tournament, cited the "first run in the first inning" as a key point that will determine the flow of the game, and vowed to "do my best to contribute to that." The 32-year-old, who will be teaming up with Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (31) in the top spots, expressed his fighting spirit, saying, "We have a point scorer. First of all, my role is to get on base and liven up the bases. That's what I want to do. I want to hit a home run that will contribute to the team."