Japan skipper Hiroki Kokubo said Thursday the experience of having managed the national side for 3½ years will be his life's treasure, even though the team failed to reclaim the World Baseball Classic title.
"Of course it's disappointing that we could not achieve our biggest goal of becoming No. 1 in the world at the WBC," Kokubo said shortly after returning to Japan following his team's 2-1 semifinal loss to the United States in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
But he emphasized the blame should not be placed on his men, saying, "That I was surrounded by and blessed with wonderful players and was able to fight together with them is a treasure in my life."