Japan manager Koji Yamamoto said his World Baseball Classic team would mirror previous Japan squads and be built around pitching and defense.
An admirable ideal, if not for the small issue of his best pitcher not wanting to play. What's more, the second or third-best options might not be available either.
Yu Darvish announced earlier in the week that he wouldn't help Japan in its quest for a third straight WBC title, opting to focus on his MLB pursuits.