One "legend" has chosen to batter’s box at the 2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC as the stage for his career culmination. Tim Kennelly, captain of the Australian national team, is 39 years old and will be competing in his fourth WBC, which he sees as his final tournament. Having built his career primarily in the Australian Winter League (ABL), an essential training ground for NPB players, this firefighter is putting everything he has into his baseball career as he takes on this final battle.
NPB's young warriors take on Australian league legends
During the off-season, many young NPB players travel overseas to the ABL to train and advance. Kennelly's team, the Perth Heat, has sent pitcher Takahisa Hayakawa (2023) and Fumiya Kurokawa (2024) from Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, helping them to achieve great things. Other players who have also garnered experience in Australia include Chiba Lotte Marines Ryusei Terachi and Daito Yamamoto, and Fukuoka Softbank 's Yuto Akihiro (who was with Yomiuri Giants at the time of his assignment), all of whom have been carrying the hopes of their teams.
In the ABL, a league that serves as a training ground for young NPB players, Kennelly is a symbol of the league and boasts an overwhelming track record. He has maintained some of the best numbers in the league for a long time, leading the league in total games hit (465), hits (520), Home Run runs (65), and RBI (RBI), and has won the league multiple times. He is truly a legend, having also won the league's Most Valuable Player award multiple times.
Rickson glove, another Australian national team player who hit home run in the quarter-final against Cuba at the last tournament and will be a key player in this tournament, said, "Kenneally is a symbol of the Australian national team, and he is an athlete I have looked up to since I was a child, hoping to become as good as him. Everyone on the team feels the same way."
A life of baseball bestowed upon him by parents who hated boredom
Kennelly's baseball roots lie in a surprising place: it was his parents' wish that led him to choose baseball over cricket, which is hugely popular in Australia.
"I started playing baseball with tee-ball. Cricket is popular in Australia as a hitting sport, but my parents thought cricket was too long and boring and didn't want to sit and watch games all day. So I was put into tee-ball, which is baseball and only takes an hour or two," he recalls with a laugh.
For Kennelly, who joined the national team in 2009 and has represented the national team for many years in events such as the Premier 12 and WBC, the role of captain is a special one. "When the coach asked me to take the position in 2018, it was a very special feeling. Playing for the national team is special in itself, but leading the team as captain is extremely important to me," he said with great pride.
Although Kennelly has competed in many international tournaments, he still cites his WBC matches as his "most special moment." "The best part is being able to play against the world's best players like (Shohei) Ohtani and (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto," he says. Facing the world's best on the world's biggest stage has been a major motivation for him to continue playing until he was 39 years old. He said of the win over South Korea in the last tournament, "It was the biggest win for the team, and thanks to that we were able to advance to the quarterfinals."
The "true courage" he cultivated as a firefighter and his response to pressure
Behind baseball 's strength lies another face: he is a firefighter with over 10 years of experience.
"What I learned from my work as a firefighter is how to perceive pressure. There is pressure in baseball as well, but it's only something you put on yourself. When you go into a fire scene, there's real pressure to survive. Compared to that, this is just baseball game. The pressure is much less," he says, adding that it's precisely because he has a day job that he can apply what he's learned to baseball.
Compared to the risk to life and limb, he sees the 50,000 spectators and even the match against the world's best players as something to be enjoyed purely. "If you don't get nervous on a stage like the WBC, you shouldn't play baseball. But I think the important thing is to use that nervousness as positive energy," he says.
The captain's style: leading by example and passing on a fearless spirit to the younger generation
Kennelly was just one young player when he first stepped onto the WBC stage in 2013. At the time, I was just trying to get used to the environment, learning a lot from the veterans, just getting out on the field and having fun baseball," he recalls fondly. It was a great time," he recalls fondly. What he learned from the older players at that time was not only technical skills. Kennelly, who will assume the captaincy in 2018, has one unwavering credo: "Show them behind their backs. He has been a captain since 2018, and he has one unwavering credo: "Show them behind their backs.
I play harder than anyone else on the field, and I lead by doing the right thing. That will be a guideline for the younger players. The important thing is to let them relax so they can be themselves.
Just as I was once trained by my seniors, I will set an example for the younger players and do what needs to be done. This determination brings a sense of security to the team.
Wynn glove, the mainstay of the team, also commented, "The atmosphere in Team Australia is very good, even outside of ground this year's tournament. Everyone is very attentive so that no one feels left out, and the veterans and young players are really well integrated. Kennelly has a word of advice he would like to pass on to the next generation of young players and to Australian children. His message is simple: "Don't be afraid to play.
Just go out there, have fun, and don't ever be afraid. If you can do something special there, it will be a special memory that will never go away.
The baton that Kenneally received as a young man of the past is now being spun into the hearts of the next generation as "the captain's way," with strength and grace.
"Second Home" Fuchu, and the Last Dance with Family
Japan and Fuchu City in Tokyo, where Kennelly will be holding her pre-Games training camp, hold special places in her heart. Fuchu City has been a host town for Australia ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and has continued to have ties with the Australian team ever since.
"We feel the love and support from Fuchu. This is like a second home for us. When we compete in the WBC, we're not just playing for Australia, we're also playing for Fuchu," he said, expressing his gratitude.
Kennelly's eldest daughter, Florence, and eldest son are also scheduled to attend Tokyo Dome. Speaking of Florence, her passionate cheering at the last tournament in 2023 (when she was three years old) is still fresh in our memory, as she captured the hearts of Japanese fans. Her adorable yet powerful call of "Let's go, George!" echoed through the stands at Tokyo Dome, spreading across social media and creating such a stir that it even became a trending topic. Her cheering style, in which adults follow her call of "Let's go!", has become a "signature" of the tournament, and she has quickly become a popular figure as the "little cheer leader" of the Australian team.
"She was still young last time, but now my son also plays baseball. It will be a special memory for them to see their father play in front of 50,000 people at Tokyo Dome," he said with a gentle expression as a father. Regarding his now 6-year-old daughter, he said, "She had a big voice when she was 3, but I'm sure she'll be even louder now," revealing his expectations for her to become the "cheerleader leader" who will once again excite the Dome, and his determination to fight for the last dance together with his family.
Vows to reach the world's heights once again and reach the long-awaited semi-finals
In the previous tournament, he defeated South Korea to reach the quarterfinals, his best result ever, but lost to Cuba 4-3 in the quarterfinals. The frustration of missing out on a ticket to Miami by just a little bit is what motivates him now.
"It was a really disappointing result. I wanted to get on a plane to Miami and face the USA in the semi-finals. But that disappointment lit a fire in my heart to say, 'Next time, we'll take it one step further and make it to the semi-finals.' This time, we don't have any superstars on our team, but compared to past tournaments, our pitcher and fielder are well-rounded, and everyone will play their role and fight," he said, displaying strong confidence in the team.
He hopes to get involved in baseball as a coach after the tournament, but for now he will put his heart and soul into his final swing with his beloved teammates.
"I want as many Japanese fans as possible to cheer me on. It will help me perform better."
As a symbol of Australian baseball, his back points towards the summit of a world yet to be seen.
Text: Shintaro Takebayashi
