World Baseball Classic: Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata announces he will step down after loss to Venezuela

Ian Casselberry Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:49 PM UTC

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Team Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata announced he will step down from his position after the World Baseball Classic.

Japan was eliminated from the WBC on Saturday with an 8-5 loss to Venezuela in the tournament quarterfinals. Samurai Japan built a 5-2 lead after three innings, powered by home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Shota Morishita.

"Results are everything,” Ibata said at the team hotel on Sunday, according to Sports Hochi.

However, Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Wilyer Abreu each hit home runs in the surprising comeback victory. Garcia’s two-run shot cut the deficit to one run, and Abreu’s three-run blast in the sixth inning was the decisive blow, giving Venezuela a 7-5 lead.

Ibata, managing in his first WBC, made a questionable decision, as pointed out by Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz. The manager opted for soft-throwing left-hander Chihiro Sumida to replace starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the fifth inning. Sumida gave up Garcia’s homer, allowing Venezuela to get back into the game.

Several of Japan’s best pitchers were unavailable for the WBC. Yuki Matsui suffered a groin injury during spring training with the San Diego Padres, and Tatsuya Imai opted to prepare for the 2026 season with the Houston Astros.

Additionally, Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets’ Kodai Senga also opted not to play for Samurai Japan. Ohtani wasn’t available either, sticking to a strict spring training timeline to prepare for the MLB season.

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An uncharacteristic error by Japan led to Venezuela’s eighth run. In the eighth inning, pitcher Atsuki Taneichi attempted to pick off Ezequiel Tovar at second base, but his high throw went into center field and Tovar came around to score.

Following the game, Ibata said the other countries competing in the WBC have gotten better, making Japan’s path to another championship more difficult.

“I know we lost this time, but Team Japan — I would hope Japan would get better next time,” Ibata said. “I will hope Team Japan will win next time.”

Ibata took over as manager for Samurai Japan three years ago, succeeding Hideki Kuriyama, who managed the 2023 WBC champions. Prior to managing Team Japan, Ibata was a coach on the national team staff and spent three years as a coach with the Yomiuri Giants.

As the defending WBC champions (and a three-time winner overall) and with a roster that included four-time MVP Ohtani and World Series MVP Yamamoto, with six other players currently playing in Major League Baseball, the Japanese were expected to play for the championship again this year.

Instead, Samurai Japan will have its worst WBC finish after reaching the semifinals in all five of the previous tournaments.

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Source: “AOL Sports”