Japan's national baseball manager Hirokazu Ibata announced his resignation following the team's 8-5 quarterfinal loss to Venezuela in Miami. The defeat ended Japan's hopes of reaching the semifinals for the first time since the World Baseball Classic began, despite fielding a roster packed with major league stars including Shohei Ohtani. Ibata stated his resignation was his 'intention' after the team's early exit, marking a stark contrast to Japan's previous three tournament wins. The manager emphasized the result was everything, expressing hope that Japan would grow stronger for future competitions.

Japan had dominated Pool C in Tokyo, winning four consecutive games against Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, and the Czech Republic, before falling to Venezuela in the quarterfinals. The MLB players on the roster included Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Seiya Suzuki, Yusei Kikuchi, Masataka Yoshida, Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto, and Tomoyuki Sugano.