Kazuyuki Shirai, Head Coach of the 2011 tournament, looks back on “Samurai Japan’s Moment of Joy” [WBC Special Report] (Japanese only)

Kazuyuki Shirai, winning head coach of the ’23 tournament
Decision in the final inning” against Mexico in the semifinals

My role in the last tournament was, at any rate, to instill Hideki Kuriyama’s (64) ideal form of baseball in the players. Conversely, I thought it was also an important job to create an environment in which the players could easily demonstrate their abilities by absorbing their opinions and sharing them with the managers and coaches,” said Kazuyuki Shirai, the winning head coach of the ’23 tournament.

Kazuyuki Shirai, 64, who has served as coach of Nippon Ham and DeNA, was the head coach of the Japanese national team in the ’23 WBC. The man behind the victory of Samurai Japan looks back on the joyous moment three years ago.

Yu Darvish (39) and Shohei Ohtani (31) contributed greatly to the team building of Samurai Japan in the ’23 WBC. Darvish, who is a major leaguer, joined the Samurai Japan team from the Miyazaki training camp and helped to build up the pitching staff, which is made up of many young pitchers. I had feared that there might be some kind of “wall” between NPB pitchers and Darvish, but my fears were unfounded.

Darvish took the pitchers to a dinner party during camp, which he named the “Udagawa-kai” so that the shy Yuki Udagawa (27) could fit in with the team. Darvish brought the pitchers closer together as equals, creating a sense of unity.

The same was true for Otani, who actively tried to open up with the NPB team. He was already an MLB superstar when he joined us from the training games in Nagoya, and even I, who had casually called him “Shohei! even I was calling him “Shohei-san” in my mind at the time (laughs). (Laughs.) Still, Otani shook hands with all the players as soon as he joined the team, and then he held out his hand to me and joked, “Who are you, by the way? (Laughs.)’ He joked with me. When I tsked, he gave me a big smile. Even without words, he told me, ‘Mr. Shirai, there is no need to hesitate! He told me.

The moment when the team’s trusting relationship born in this way came to fruition was Munetaka Murakami’s good-bye run in the final inning of the semifinal game against Mexico.

Murakami was in a slump at the time. In the first round game at Tokyo Dome, he had been sluggish, with a batting average in the 10% range, and he had struck out three times before that at-bat against Mexico.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, with no outs and runners on first and second. Even if the substitute hitters had failed to get Murakami out in this situation, no one would have complained. On the other hand, if I had allowed Murakami to hit into a double play, Manager Kuriyama would have been slapped in the face. However, as I watched from the third base coach’s box, Kuriyama sent Murakami to bat without any hesitation. When Murakami gave up the good-bye hit, the members on the bench were happier than the batter himself. It was a victory brought about by the unity of the manager, coaches, players, and staff.

I believe that the at-bat was a sign of manager Kuriyama’s determination. He put all his faith in his players and prioritized the future of the Japanese baseball world, without regard for the risk of damaging his own reputation. If Murakami had been substituted, he would not have hit a follow-up home run in the final against the U.S., and Japan would have lost. In a one-hit international tournament, it only takes one batter and one pitch to make the difference. I am confident that the best players will prepare the best and show the best competition at this year’s tournament.

The key to this year’s tournament will be Otani. How much can he lead the team and share the same vision? This should strengthen the sense of unity and trust in Ibata Japan.

Three years have passed, and Otani’s influence has become even stronger. Perhaps, like me in the past, there may be some players who feel a “wall” between themselves and him somewhere deep inside. But there is no need to worry. Ohtani is a man who thinks about contributing to the team more than anyone else.”

From the March 13-20, 2026 issue of FRIDAY