<figure id="attachment_459252" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459252"><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">Striking out Mike Trout, the last American batter, with a swinging strike, Ohtani lets out a roar and throws his cap in celebration. Japan claims the world championship for the first time in 14 years.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Shohei Otani roars after striking out Trout!<br data-start="44" data-end="47">2023, 5th WBC, Final vs. USA</h3>
<p data-start="0" data-end="266">Shohei Ohtani (31) unleashed raw emotion, roaring in celebration, moving countless fans. This was right after he struck out the powerful American batter Mike Trout in the final of the 5th WBC (2023), leading Japan to victory. After the game, Ohtani told reporters:</p>
<p data-start="268" data-end="345"><strong>&#8220;I thought I had to throw pitches beyond my best to get this batter out.&#8221;</strong></p>
<p data-start="347" data-end="782" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">At the WBC, Samurai Japan battles top international teams in intense, high-pressure games. It’s precisely because players push beyond their limits to deliver superlative plays that fans are so moved. From a legendary player’s clutch hit despite a slump, to a dramatic ninth-inning comeback, to a divine hand home run that dodged the catcher’s block—the nine selected unforgettable moments revive the emotions that shook all of Japan.</p>
<h3>Ichiro’s Relentless Clutch Hit Despite Slump<br data-start="44" data-end="47">2nd WBC (2009) Final – Japan vs. South Korea</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459254" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459254"><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 2009.</figcaption></figure>
<p>In that tournament, Ichiro had been slumping with a .211 batting average up to the previous game, describing it as more painful than I imagined. Yet in the 10th inning of the final, with two outs and runners on second and third, he delivered a clutch go-ahead hit. After the game, he remarked, “I felt like a god descended upon me.”</p>
<h3>Hirokazu Ibata&#8217;s timely tying run with two outs in the 9th inning<br>
The 3rd World Tournament in 2013, 2nd round, against Chinese Taipei</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459255" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459255"><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 2013 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 walk-off, come-from-behind hit<br>
The 5th World Tournament in 2023, Semifinal game against Mexico</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459257" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459257"><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’s Dramatic Walk-Off Hit – 2023 5th WBC Semifinal vs. Mexico</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 2009, Final against Korea</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459258" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459258"><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 2009.</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’s “Divine Hand” Home Slide<br>
2006 First World Tournament, Final against Cuba</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459259" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459259"><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 2009</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>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<h3>Yu Darvish, selected as an inexperienced pitcher<br>
2009 2nd World Tournament, Final against South Korea</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459260" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2150px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459260"><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 2009.</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!<br>
3rd World Tournament 2013, 2nd round, game against the Netherlands</h3>
<figure id="attachment_459261" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1918px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459261"><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 2023.</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" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1862px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459262"><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 &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221;</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!

Nine Most Emotional Moments That Shook All of Japan

Access Ranking