<figure id="attachment_459252" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459252" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8c042563"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/8fbdf77ec12469742ff7207e9ea4504b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459252" class="wp-caption-text">After striking out the last U.S. batter, Trout, Ohtani threw his hat in the air with a yell and exploded with joy. Japan became the world&#8217;s number one baseball team for the first time in 14 years.</figcaption></figure>
<h3> Shohei Otani howled as he &#8220;slayed Trout! <br>
The final game against the U.S.A. in the &#8217;23 Fifth World Championships.</h3>
<p> Shohei Otani (31) must have moved many fans as he bared his emotions and howled. It was right after he led Japan to the championship in the final of the 5th Olympics (2011), striking out the hard-hitting Trout of the United States. After the game, Otani told the press, &#8220;I threw more pitches than my best.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I thought if I didn&#8217;t throw pitches beyond my best, I might be a hitter who couldn&#8217;t be contained.</span></p>
<p> In the WBC, Samurai Japan, with the Japanese flag on their backs, will be competing to the death against powerful nations. It is the super plays of these players, who are under extreme pressure to perform beyond their best, that are so inspiring to watch. The persistent timely hit by a legend who had been in a slump, the great comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning when the team was in trouble, and the &#8220;God&#8217;s hand&#8221; home run that evaded the catcher&#8217;s block are just a few examples. &#8230;&#8230; I would like to revive the excitement that shook all of Japan through nine carefully selected famous scenes.</p>
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<h3> Ichiro&#8217;s final timely hit in the final game of the 2009 tournament <br>
The 2009 Second World Series Final against South Korea</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459254" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459254" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="9608ae44"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/d2c29f29d1b62d748cedf31b12da317c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459254" class="wp-caption-text"> Ichiro&#8217;s unrelenting performance in the final against South Korea in the second tournament of &#8217;09.</figcaption></figure>
<p> Ichiro had been in a slump, with a .211 batting average through his previous games in the tournament. He said, &#8220;I was suffering more than I could have imagined,&#8221; but in the 10th inning of the final game, with two outs and runners at second and third, he hit a final-time ball. After the game, he said, &#8220;God came down to me.</p>
<h3> Hirokazu Ibata&#8217;s timely tying run with two outs in the 9th inning <br>
The 3rd World Tournament in &#8217;13, 2nd round, against Chinese Taipei</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459255" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459255" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5b32bbf8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/64afd25d78e9e8e6d686be26e48b8e41.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459255" class="wp-caption-text"> Hirokazu Ibata with the tying run on base with two outs in the 9th inning against Chinese Taipei in the second round of the &#8217;13 3rd World Tournament.</figcaption></figure>
<p> With a one-run lead in the top of the 9th inning, Ibata scored the tying run with a runner on second base with two outs. After catching up in the last minute, Japan won the game in the 10th inning.</p>
<h3> Munetaka Murakami Dramatic! Dramatic hit for a comeback victory! <br>
The 5th World Tournament in 2011, Semifinal game against Mexico</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459257" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459257" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ebc4cdfc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/9e58c64a5cb245aabea922ffe49fd232.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459257" class="wp-caption-text"> Munetaka Murakami Dramatic! Dramatic! Goodbye-run homer against Mexico in the semifinals of the 5th World Championships in 2011</figcaption></figure>
<p> Murakami, who was hitless in four at-bats on the day, including three consecutive strikeouts, scored a dramatic two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to bring the game back from the dead!</p>
<h3> Seiichi Uchikawa&#8217;s super fine play to turn the tide <br>
The 2nd Tournament in &#8217;09, Final against Korea</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459258" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459258" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="31ea2d35"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/de3e6e7b33e240997560f02e5e2705b7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459258" class="wp-caption-text"> Seiichi Uchikawa&#8217;s fine play to change the tide in the final game against South Korea in the second tournament of &#8217;09</figcaption></figure>
<p> After the game was over in the bottom of the 5th inning, Seiichi Uchikawa made a one-bounce catch of a liner from a South Korean batter. He sent the ball to second base and killed the batter. Japan caught on and won the game in extra innings.</p>
<h3> Munenori Kawasaki&#8217;s &#8220;Hand of God&#8221; home run <br>
2006 First World Tournament, Final against Cuba</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459259" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459259" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b6e2ae12"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/544b8559c9afdbe4a287356f3188908f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459259" class="wp-caption-text"> Munenori Kawasaki &#8220;Hand of God&#8221; home-in against Cuba in the final of the first tournament in 2006</figcaption></figure>
<p> In the top of the 9th inning, the score was tied at one. Ichiro hit a ball to second baseman Kawasaki, who evaded the catcher&#8217;s block and brought it home with just his right hand!</p>
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<h3> Yu Darvish, selected as an inexperienced pitcher <br>
2009 2nd World Tournament, Final against South Korea</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459260" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459260" style="width: 2150px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d3b1337d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/c40783f37e5d86a657cb3a311a32cd81.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459260" class="wp-caption-text"> Yu Darvish, selected as an inexperienced suppressor, in the final against South Korea in the 2nd tournament in &#8217;09.</figcaption></figure>
<p> In the same tournament, manager Tatsunori Hara selected Darvish as an inexperienced supporter. Despite his own concerns, he allowed only one run in two innings in the final game.</p>
<h3> Shinnosuke Abe became the first player in history to hit two homers in one inning! Two homers in one inning <br>
3rd World Tournament &#8217;13, 2nd round, game against the Netherlands</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459261" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459261" style="width: 1918px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e192bd66"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/bcc5e1ce3fac4befc44b0c079e3d149c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459261" class="wp-caption-text"> Shinnosuke Abe First time in history! Double homer in one inning against the Netherlands in the second round of the 3rd World Championships in 2001.</figcaption></figure>
<p> In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Japan went on the offensive. Five runs scored in one inning, including a homer by Abe, who led off the inning. Abe&#8217;s three-run homer in the top of the first inning was the first time in WBC history that two homers were hit in one inning.</p>
<h3> Kosuke Fukudome, who had been in a slump, hit a two-run double in his place. <br>
2006 First WBC Semifinal against Korea</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459262" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459262" style="width: 1862px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="76aab22f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/f2cc37dc1993a268b8946e70d66dcb44.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459262" class="wp-caption-text"> Kosuke Fukudome, in a slump, hits a double in the first inning against South Korea in the semifinals of the 2006 WBC Tournament.</figcaption></figure>
<p> Fukudome, who was out of the starting lineup for the first time in this tournament due to a slumping batting average of .105, came in as a substitute batter with one out and two on in the top of the 7th inning with the score 0-0. He gave up the final two runs.</p>
<p> From the March 13-20, 2026 issue of FRIDAY</p>


 Afro

 The 9 most impressive plays of Samurai Japan, including the final against USA in the 5th WBC in 2011, the final against Korea in the 2nd WBC in 2009, and the final against Cuba in the 1st WBC in 2006, are selected for this special edition. Super Plays of the Samurai Japan, including the final against the U.S. in the 5th tournament in '23, the final against Korea in the 2nd tournament in '09, and the final against Cuba in the 1st tournament in '06!

Selected 9 (Nine) “Famous Scenes of Great Emotion” that Shook the Whole Country [WBC Special Report].

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