World Classic: Shohei Ohtani was one triple away from a cycle in the second inning.

The World Baseball Classic only began on Thursday, and we already have our first electric moment, courtesy of Shohei Ohtani, of course.

In the second inning of Japan's opening game against Chinese Taipei at Tokyo Dome, Ohtani hit a hanging curveball a few feet above the right field fence for a grand slam, opening the floodgates for a 13-0 victory for his team.

SHOHEI OHTANI GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/piuV7aRZ7w

— Jack (@MidWestLAFan) March 6, 2026

That was all it took to lift the stadium and spark madness among the 42,314 fans gathered to cheer on their favorites. Japan ended up using the Classic's mercy rule, and the game ended in seven innings.

Ohtani started the game with a double and hit a single in his second at-bat in the second inning, as Japan set a WBC record with ten runs. The Japanese player was therefore one triple away from the cycle, and we were only in the second inning.

Although he ultimately failed to achieve the feat, Ohtani added an RBI single in the third inning, giving him five RBIs for the game.

Although he will not be pitching in the international tournament, let's just say that the four-time MVP winner in Major League Baseball and two-time World Series champion put on quite a show at the plate, and will certainly continue to do so throughout the competition.

In addition to Ohtani, his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a good day on the mound, pitching two and two-thirds innings with three walks, two strikeouts, and no runs allowed.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida also had a good day at the plate with two hits in three at-bats and one RBI, while Chicago White Sox newcomer Munetaka Murakami also drove in a run.

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