WBC First Round Group C Japan vs. Australia (8th, Tokyo Dome)

Samurai Japan's Softbank Hawks ・ Kensuke Kondo outfielder entered the game starting line-up at "No. 3, right wing," but struggled with no hits until the second batter.

In the 2011 tournament, he played in all seven games as "No. 2, right wing" and contributed to the world championship with a .340 batting average and .500 on-base percentage. He was also assigned to bat second behind Otani in this year's tournament, but he was unable to show his true potential, batting 9 times in 2 games, 8 At Bat none hit. On this day, he was batting order changed, but after striking out struck out with one out in the first inning, he fell to a fly out to center field in the third inning as well.

He has won three consecutive major international tournaments, including the Premier 12 in 2019, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and the WBC in 2023. Expectations are high for him to awaken as a "championship contractor" who is indispensable to the Japanese national team.