The World Baseball Classic has kept everyone on their toes without a moment of rest this year. Exciting match-ups and powerful rosters aren’t even the best part. The most entertaining thing for many has been seeing new talent from different countries fighting with seasoned MLB players. Or in the case of the Czech Republic, part-time baseballers striking out the two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.

Japan has been an undefeated country this year and Ohtani has undoubtedly been a big part of why. A star-studded lineup from MLB as well as Japan’s NPB has certainly helped the winning streak. Now the team is set to face Mexico in the semi-finals on Monday, March 20th. But before that, the players decided to step out for a nice dinner in Miami, where the game will take place.

Shohei Ohtani and the Japanese team have dinner at Nobu

When craving some good ramen or artistically arranged sushi, everyone knows Nobu is the place to go. Sure, it’s a little expensive, but at least the food is delicious. There are rarely any other restaurants that can outclass the place for Japanese food. And the country’s baseball team clearly thinks the same.

Pitcher Hiroya Miyagi recently posted a picture of some of the team members at a Nobu outlet in Miami. The players were Lars Nootbaar, Munetaka Murakami, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Miyagi, Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara. Everyone stood with big grins on their faces behind a table, and it looked like the picture was taken before they had started eating.

Guess the players wanted a taste of home before their big game. Itadakimasu!

The 2023 World Baseball Classic has been the most popular since its inception

It’s true, everyone is loving baseball in this form more than ever before. For some, the WBC is the best of baseball – people from all over the world coming together in a celebration of the sport. So what if the major leagues exist only in the USA and Japan? Baseball is loved everywhere!

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MLB.com reported that 2023 saw a +98% increase in attendance at games this year, and Tokyo Dome broke the record for the highest average attendance. Not to mention, new records for most fans at any game in the history of the WBC were also set at the stadium.

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Shohei Ohtani’s social media following went up by millions, making him the most-followed MLB personality on Instagram. And the WBC merchandise hasn’t been doing badly either, proving just how popular this year was.