Sawt Falasteen - Aaron Judge and US stars eye Japan revenge in World Baseball Classic

The two-week tournament's sixth edition features 20 teams in games spread across Japan, Puerto Rico and the mainland United States, with the semi-finals and final to be played in Miami.

The last edition in 2023 saw Japan edge the US in a nail-biting thriller for a record third crown, and this year's American captain Judge has gathered an impressive roster of top MLB stars in a bid to reclaim the title.

"To get a chance to represent your country, and just be out there wearing the red, white and blue, see everybody with American flags in the stands -- it's gonna be incredible," said Judge.

"I've talked to a lot of the guys on the team. They're juiced up. They're excited."

The Yankees slugger and 2025 MVP will be joined in a star-studded offense by the only two Americans who hit more home runs than him in the MLB last season -- Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber.

Short stop Bobby Witt Jr., who led the league in hits, and Bryce Harper will also feature with the bat.

But it is on the pitching side that the US is most improved from previous classics, with Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal -- the two most recent Cy Young Award winners -- taking the mound.

They will have plenty of backup from the likes of All-Stars Joe Ryan and Logan Webb.

Team USA have only won the WBC once, in 2017. They open with group stage games in Houston against Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico, and will be managed by Mark DeRosa for the second consecutive tournament.

- Samurai Japan -

The World Baseball Classic has been building momentum since it replaced the now-defunct Baseball World Cup as the sport's biggest international tournament more than a decade ago.

But it reached new heights in 2023, when Ohtani dramatically stepped up to the mound and struck out US captain Mike Trout in the ninth inning to clinch Japan's third WBC victory.

The fairytale final was watched by a whopping 29 million people in Japan -- despite airing on a weekday morning -- plus five million Americans.

Ohtani, still managing his return to the mound after a near two-year absence due to injury, will not pitch for Samurai Japan in the upcoming classic.

But the two-way, back-to-back World Series-winning superstar will be joined by his Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was MVP in the Dodgers' 2025 World Series victory.

"I feel a great sense of responsibility to represent Japan again," Yamamoto said in January.

"We want to come together and aim for the title," he added.

Other MLB players include Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs, Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox and Kazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Japan's group games will be played at the Tokyo Dome against South Korea, Australia, Taiwan and Czechia. Games will be shown in Japan exclusively on Netflix.

- Dark horses -

While the US and Japan are favorites, 2013 champions the Dominican Republic also pack a formidable squad.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Juan Soto lead a plethora of talent including Julio Rodriguez, Fernando Tatis Jr, and captain Manny Machado.

"To be part of that team, to represent the whole Dominican Republic, it's just on another level -- the pride I feel, the energy," said Soto.

They face off against potential dark horses Venezuela in the Miami-based group, along with Nicaragua, Israel and the Netherlands.

And Puerto Rico will host its own group games against Cuba, Panama, Colombia and Canada.

I.Yassin--SF-PST