Shohei Ohtani said in an interview that playing in the Classic was his most nerve-wracking experience, admitting the pressure was real because “all of Japan was watching.”

The Dodgers’ Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani revealed in an exclusive interview with the Japanese magazine "Number" that the most tense moment of his career so far occurred in the final stages of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Ohtani explained, “I think it’s not ideal to be totally free of tension; maintaining balance is key.” He admitted, “If I had to pinpoint the most nerve-wracking moment so far, it would be the closing phase of the 2023 WBC. Pitching the final inning in the championship game really helped me later in the World Series; on the flip side, sometimes lack of experience can be an advantage. Overall, keeping a balance is what matters most.”

He further described the source of his anxiety: “It wasn’t just the final, but also the semifinal against Mexico — the entire outcome depended on me, and everything could collapse in a single night. Family, fans, even all of Japan were watching, and I could have ruined the whole game in that one inning. That kind of pressure felt very real.”

When asked “when did you start feeling nervous,” Ohtani laughed and said, “Probably from the moment Yu Darvish gave up that home run. I thought, ‘It’s just one run difference now…’ Every game since leaving Japan had its own story. In Miami, we first came back against Mexico, then I closed out the final inning in the championship game — these experiences were extremely important to me. Actually, I was also quite nervous during the second-round game against Italy.”

Ohtani added, “Even though the atmosphere at the time was like ‘we should win this,’ and everyone seemed to believe that as soon as I stepped on the mound, the victory was secured — both players and coaches thought so — Italy was really strong, and Vinnie Pasquantino was on their roster.” Pasquantino played 160 games for the Royals this season, hitting .264 with 32 home runs and 113 RBIs.

Ohtani praised him highly: “Although he wasn’t very well known then and many people were unfamiliar with him, in my view, he is a very powerful hitter. Also, Italy’s team included many major league players, and their overall strength was not inferior to Japan’s — they might even have been stronger. The second round was a must-win stage; losing meant elimination. At least we had to make it to the U.S. phase — no one could accept being knocked out early in Japan. So the atmosphere was full of ‘we must win’ and ‘we can’t lose’ — that pressure was truly intense.”