Shohei Otani said Tuesday he will not throw for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic due to an ankle injury the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ace suffered last autumn, although he may still hit.
"This is a chance that doesn't often come your way and I wanted to play. I've been preparing because I planned to pitch," said Otani, who set Japan's speed record of 165 km per hour last season.
"It (the national team) is somewhere you don't belong unless you're 100 percent fit. So the decision has been made not to pitch. It is better, but I'm not in position to throw hard off a mound."