Roki Sasaki, who electrified the tournament as a 21-year-old flamethrower while mowing down MLB superstars, will not participate this time around. Neither will Mets ace Kodai Senga or Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga.

Instead, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will anchor the Japanese pitching staff, while Japan hopes veteran Yusei Kikuchi can step up as a reliable secondary starter.

Superstar Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in this installment of the WBC, but he will still lead a dangerous offense that includes Masataka Yoshida, Munetaka Murakami, and Kazuma Okamoto, three hitters capable of changing a game with a single swing.

Japan remains one of the most disciplined and fundamentally sound teams in the tournament, making them a constant threat to reach the final once again.