The World Baseball Classic quarterfinals begin on Friday, March 13, and Team Samurai Japan find themselves to end up on top. 

Samurai Japan will have its first taste of the knockout rounds against Team Venezuela on Friday. 

In preparation, Samurai Japan had its first full team practice in Miami at loanDepot Park. 

Before the team took the field for practice, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani took part in his first live bullpen session with his fellow countrymen. 

He managed to get through four innings against a variety of Samurai Japan hitters, striking out seven on 59 pitches. 

Before departing for the WBC, it was confirmed by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts that Ohtani would not pitch for Samurai Japan. 

This was even more evident when Ohtani stated to the media after team workouts that he would not pitch moving forward. 

He said he would not pitch due to the "promise" he made to the Dodgers and Samurai Japan before playing. 

Ohtani is making every stop to ensure he will be ready for Opening Day, which is just two weeks away. 

So much so that Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior sent off Ohtani with a specific pitching program he could follow while away from Dodgers camp. 

But of course, in case of any dire situation, Ohtani did not completely rule out pitching for Samurai Japan unless completely warranted. 

"Of course, you never know if injuries might occur, so I don't want to say it's absolutely zero for anything," Ohtani said. 

That might not be an issue, as the pitchers on Samurai Japan's roster have depth to go around. 

Yuki Matsui, Yusei Kikuchi, Hiroto Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to name a few, highlight the 15 pitchers. 

Speaking of Yamamoto, he was also seen pitching alongside Ohtani during the workout. 

He was participating in long toss ahead of his start this Friday. 

With Yamamoto kicking off the knockout rounds for Samurai Japan, we get another glimpse of the 2025 World Series winner in another big game. 

Through his pitching progression this spring, Yamamoto has displayed his readiness for the 2026 season. 

He will presumably take the place as the Dodgers' ace of the starting rotation, which has the likes of Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow as the front three. 

The rest of the Dodgers' starting rotation picture is looking clearer by the day. 

With Blake Snell shelved to begin the season, arms like Justin Wrobleski, River Ryan, and Emmet Sheehan are fighting for their place. 

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