Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) announced on the 28th that outfielder Seiya Suzuki (28) of Samurai Japan’s Cubs will withdraw from participating in the WBC in March. The replacement player is “undecided”.

On the 25th of US time (26th of Japan time), he complained of tension in his left flank during a military camp in Mesa, Arizona, USA, and withdrew from the opening game he was scheduled to participate in. He underwent an MRI and by this date had the results. He had to give up participating in the WBC, which will be the first round of the first round on March 9th.

As a member of SAMURAI JAPAN, Suzuki has a strong determination to take on the challenge of becoming the world champion for the first time in three tournaments. In his off-season, he worked hard to remodel his body, increasing his power by 10kg to 106kg since the end of last season. He had his sights set on a sophomore fight with the Cubs and a retake in the WBC. However, Suzuki, who has a five-year contract totaling $85 million (approximately 11.05 billion yen), is the treasure of the military. His flank is also a place where he can’t force himself, and considering the season, he could not participate in the WBC.

Samurai Japan will face the WBC without a big pillar. Suzuki experienced the previous tournament in 2017, and served as No. 4 at the 2019 Premier 12 and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He will play a leading role this time as well, along with Murakami, Otani, and Yoshida. Many of his main guns are left-handed hitters, and the presence of right-handed Suzuki, who knows American baseball, is invaluable. He was expected to be a right fielder defensively. With Suzuki’s withdrawal, Kuriyama is forced to reconsider the concept of offense and defense.