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In the quiet aftermath of a national heartbreak, the words of Shohei Ohtani carried the weight of an entire baseball nation on Monday when the two-way sensation wrote a heartfelt message on his Instagram account.

Last Saturday night in Miami, Team Japan – the gold standard of the World Baseball Classic with three titles – watched its dream dissolve under the bright lights of LoanDepot Park. 

After dominating group play on their home soil at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, the Samurai traveled to Miami to face Venezuela in the quarterfinals. 

Japan led 5-2 in the game, thanks in large part to Ohtani’s game-tying blast in the bottom of the first inning, and his Dodgers’ teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s stellar start. 

However, Venezuela stormed back and stunned the defending champions 8-5, marking the first time in the tournament’s 20-year history that Japan failed to reach the semifinals. 

It was the kind of loss that lingers.

And Ohtani knew it.

Two days later, as he traveled back to Glendale, Arizona for the quiet rhythm of spring training, the Dodgers superstar wrote a message of gratitude, disappointment, and reflection.

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“Dear fans, thank you very much for your support. Your cheers gave us a push in the back every day,” Ohtani wrote in Japanese.

Then came the honesty.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted, and I’m pained by my shortcomings.”

Those words landed with the humility that has defined the most recognizable player in baseball. Ohtani thanked the players, coaches and staff who shared the dugout with him, acknowledging that even a short tournament can feel like a lifetime when worn across the chest of your own country.

“To the players, manager, coaches, and the staffers who supported the team, it was a short time, but I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart that I was able to experience baseball with you as a representative of Japan.”

“Additionally, I want to express my gratitude to the players from the countries we played starting in the first round.”

He even tipped his cap to the team that ended their run.

“Also, to the folks from victorious Venezuela, congratulations.”

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That’s who Ohtani is. Even in defeat, the perspective remains bigger than the scoreboard.

In 2023, Ohtani stood atop the baseball world, striking out his former teammate Mike Trout to seal Japan’s championship and create one of the sport’s most iconic moments.

Now, Ohtani returns to Camelback Ranch chasing something else entirely –  a third straight World Series title and another chapter in a career that increasingly feels less like a baseball story and more like mythology wearing cleats.

Japan’s tournament ended in shock.

Ohtani’s pursuit of greatness, however, never stops.

For the first time in its 64-year history, Dodger Stadium is attaching itself to a corporate sponsorship.

Katie Woo of The Athletic first reported Sunday that the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a deal with Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo to be the official field presenting partner of the historic ballpark. Uniqlo does not have the naming rights to Dodger Stadium itself, as the team reportedly made it a priority to keep the only name the ballpark has ever had intact.

"That has never been for sale,” team president Stan Kasten told the Los Angeles Times in 2017. “It never will be for sale.”

Rather, the sponsorship is for the playing field alone and will likely be something along the lines of Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.

It's a similar setup to another historic LA venue — the playing field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the home of the USC Trojans football team, has been known as United Airlines Field since 2019 while keeping the stadium's name.

Uniqlo began as a fast-fashion brand based in Japan in 2017 and has since grown to over 1,000 stores worldwide. As part of the deal, it will have a prominent presence throughout the ballpark, including a new sign in the center field plaza. Per The Athletic, Uniqlo will also hold exclusive marketing and promotional opportunities as the organization’s top sponsor.

Coming off a successful stint with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, Carlos Mendoza has confirmed that Huascar Brazobán will be a part of the Mets’ bullpen if he remains healthy to finish off the spring. When speaking about his 36-year-old right-hander, Mendoza added, “If everything continues to trend in that direction…he’s going to be a part of our bullpen.”

Mendoza faced 13 batters in the WBC and struck out seven of them. He walked one and did not allow a hit over four shutout innings. Brazobán has also allowed one hit and walked one while striking out five over three shutout innings with the Mets this spring prior to his WBC performance.

Brazobán was second among all Mets relievers last season with 63 innings pitched, trailing only Edwin Díaz on that front. Meanwhile, he was fourth in appearances (52) behind Ryne Stanek (65), Díaz (62), and Reed Garrett (58). He finished the year with a 3.57 ERA and a 4.04 FIP, with 57 strikeouts and 27 walks. Brazobán still has a Minor League option, which made his spot in the bullpen anything but a guarantee, but his strong spring performance made it an easy choice for Mendoza.

The Mets have now essentially locked in six of their seven bullpen spots with closer Devin Williams, set-up man Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Luis García, Tobias Myers, and Brazobán. With the team expected to deploy a six-man rotation, Mendoza will run a seven-man bullpen, leaving one spot left to fill. Craig Kimbrel is the most high-profile name remaining, but his performance this spring has done little to earn him a spot. He is competing against guys like Bryan Hudson, Austin Warren and Joey Gerbe, to name a few. The Mets are expected to make their decision as close to Opening Day as possible, to allow for more time to analyze their options. The Mets open their season against the Pirates on Thursday, March 26 at 1:15 pm at Citi Field.

The Nationals have lost their last couple spring games, so they will look to get back in the win column against the Mets. More importantly, the Nats quiet bats will try to get things going before the season starts in 10 days. We also get to see the return of Jacob Young.

This is a bit of an unusual looking lineup for the Nats. Jacob Young will hit second in his return to the lineup. He usually hits at the bottom of the order, but the team wants him to get more at bats. Dylan Crews is back in left field, as he gets more exposure to that position. Luis Garcia Jr. is back at his natural second base position after a couple games at first. Zach Penrod will be the opener in this one, so we should see plenty of relievers tonight.

The Mets lineup is mostly made up of reserves, but there are a couple notable faces in there. Catcher Francisco Alvarez is the biggest name in the lineup. Nats fans will also get a look at the Mets top hitting prospect Carson Benge. David Peterson has been a mainstay in the Mets rotation for a few years now, and he will get the ball tonight.

Game Info:

Stadium: Clover Park

Time: 6:10 PM EST

TV: SNY/MLB TV

Radio: The Team 980

With the season just 10 days away, we are winding down Spring Training. It would be great for the Nats bats to show more life against a starter they will see plenty of this season. Hopefully the likes of James Wood and Dylan Crews can snap out of their malaise at the plate. Follow along down below and let’s go Nats!

It’s only fitting that the pitcher who recorded the Dodgers’ final eight outs of the World Series will take the mound on opening day, as the club tries to pick up where it left off in 2025 and chase a third straight championship in 2026.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will toe the rubber for the March 26 opener at Dodger Stadium against the Arizona Diamondbacks — the second straight year he's had the honor and the first time at home, after pitching last season's opener in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs.

Roberts added Yamamoto is expected to return to Camelback Ranch soon, after participating in the World Baseball Classic with Team Japan. The Samurai Warriors, seeking a second straight WBC title, were eliminated by Team Venezuela Saturday night in the quarterfinals.

Yamamoto is expected to make one more start in the Cactus League before opening day, although the date has yet to be scheduled, according to Roberts.

Read more:Swanson: Yoshinobu Yamamoto might not wear a cape, but he has super powers

Shohei Ohtani returned to Dodgers camp Monday morning, and Roberts plans to have a conversation with him soon about configuring his throwing plan leading up to regular season play. Per Roberts, Ohtani threw four innings in a simulated game while with Team Japan last Thursday.

“He’s going to get here and throw a bullpen,” Roberts said, adding: “I’m trying to figure out when we can get him into a game, but it should be here in the next day or two, to take some at bats. But as far as his progression, there’s going to be a bullpen soon, and [we’re] trying to figure out what day he’s going to pitch this week. It should be this week, but I’m not sure which day yet.”

Ohtani has not pitched in a Cactus League game and did not pitch in the WBC. Roberts does not expect the four-time MVP to be fully stretched out by the start of the regular season. Still, as Roberts notes, he’s further along than he was at this time a year ago, when he was working his way back from Tommy John surgery.

“I think this year we’re certainly north of that, I don’t see how we won’t be able to get to three or four innings in a major league game, so that’s certainly a better jumping-off point than last year, so we’ll see how it goes,” Roberts said.

Beyond Yamamoto, Ohtani and trusty veteran Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers’ back end of the rotation is still taking shape. Though Roberts had considered a six-man rotation to begin regular season play, he indicated Monday that he expects the club to use a five-man rotation, noting that things are still "fluid."

Last week, Roberts said he "didn’t see a world in which Roki Sasaki doesn’t break [camp] as a starter." That would leave one rotation spot up for the taking, with 25-year-old Justin Wrobleski, 26-year-old Emmet Sheehan and 27-year-old River Ryan among those in the running.

Sasaki to make Cactus League start Tuesday

Sasaki is scheduled to make a Cactus League start Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium.

Sasaki struck out nine of 13 batters he faced in B-game last week against Chicago White Sox minor leaguers on the backfields of Camelback Ranch.

Read more:Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani apologizes for 'shortcomings' in Japan's early exit from WBC

“The last outing was really good, albeit on the other side,” Roberts said. “I’m looking to see it myself and see just more of what he did. So, if he can throw the fastball the way he did, throw the split the way he did, he should be able to manage major league hitters. So, I’m really excited about what we see from him tomorrow. Hopefully, the plan is to get him through five innings, and that would be a huge win.”

Dodgers ‘dodge a bullet’ with Gavin Stone

While Gavin Stone has not yet returned to throwing since he was shut down two weeks ago, Roberts shared an encouraging update regarding his 27-year-old pitcher that he is working his way back from shoulder surgery that caused him to miss all of 2025.

“He is pain-free now, yes,” Roberts said. “I know that he’s close to starting to ramp up again. I think it was two weeks that we wanted to have him not throw a baseball, and so, just building up the arm strength, getting that soreness out. But I think we dodged a bullet, considering where we were at a few weeks ago.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.