Why did Yuki Yanagita, a 238 home run hitter for the “Tokyo Olympic Gold Medal,” reject the WBC national team?
Softbank Hawks Yanagita Yuki (35) revealed why he did not participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team.
Japanese media Full Count said on the 20th, “Softbank outfielder Yuki Yanagita revealed his personal training in Hiroshima, Japan, on the 19th and refused to participate in the WBC Japanese national team to be held in March.” Yanagita, who won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, confessed that it was difficult to take 100% of his body and mind,” he said.
Yuki Yanagita is a leading Japanese hitter with a batting average of .3155 (1379 hits in 4,383 at-bats) and 238 home runs and 770 RBIs in 1,255 games in the Japanese professional baseball league. Last year, he had a batting average of .275 (120 hits in 437 at-bats) and 24 home runs and 79 RBIs in 117 games, which was excellent with OPS.829. Due to injury, he did not participate in the 2015 Premier 12, 2017 WBC, and 2019 Premier 12 national teams, but won the gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
There was a possibility of participating in this year’s WBC national team, but Yanagita said, “Of course, I wanted to go to the national team. “But it was hard to think that I could go to WBC in 100% physical condition,” he said, explaining the reason for the national team exam.
The full count said, “Some say Yanagita prioritized the season, but it won’t be. Yuki Yanagita, who is also called a superhuman, will turn 35 this year. Recently, the season of fighting injuries continues. Last season, he played with pain in his left shoulder and Achilles tendon. “I had a off-season break for about two months in November and December, but my physical condition doesn’t improve so quickly,” he said of Yuki Yanagita’s physical condition.
“Even if we recover from the fatigue and pain accumulated during the off-season, it is difficult to prepare fully until the WBC in March,” said the full count, “We have to come out 100% on the international stage.” Yanagita probably gave up playing because he couldn’t make his physical condition like that,” he analyzed Yanagita’s reason for the national team exam.
