Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Send Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki Message After Scary WBC Injury
· Yahoo Sports
TEMPE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 21: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout before the spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on February 21, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have both been well represented throughout the ongoing World Baseball Classic tournament as both teams gear up to battle for a National League pennant next season.
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On the Dodgers’ side, star players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Will Smith have been participating in the WBC. And Cubs fans have had the chance to see Pete Crow-Armstrong and Daniel Palencia represent their respective countries as well.
But following a quarterfinals matchup between Team Japan and Team Venezuela, Cubs fans received an ominous update on star slugger Seiya Suzuki courtesy of the Dodgers’ franchise player.
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"He hasn’t had any imaging done yet so right now it's just based on how he feels,'' Shohei Ohtani told the press after Team Japan’s loss in the matchup, which included Suzuki limping off the field following a steal attempt in the first inning, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. "I'm just hoping it turns out to be something positive and that it won't affect his season.”
Significant injuries to star players have occurred in the international tournament before and Ohtani’s update seemed to leave the door open to that possibility. And an impact on Suzuki’s upcoming season with the Cubs would be a significant loss for the team.
He slugged 32 home runs last year and played more than 150 games for the first time in his big-league career. Another productive and healthy season from Suzuki would go a long way in the Cubs’ hopes for a deeper postseason run next season.
In the immediate aftermath of the play, some Cubs fans likely feared that Suzuki had suffered a significant injury. He struggled to walk off the field under his own power but the team has not issued a clear update as of this writing. Initially, it indicated that he was managing knee “discomfort.”
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“Suzuki, who was thrown out to end the inning, limped off the field with a trainer and had difficulty walking down the dugout steps,” Jorge Castillo reported for ESPN. “Team Japan said during the game that Suzuki is still being evaluated.”
Team Japan’s loss to Team Venezuela was a surprising one after Ohtani’s team came in as the tournament’s defending champion. Team Japan has never before been eliminated prior to the WBC semifinals and this iteration had gone undefeated in pool play.
Team Venezuela is now set to play Team Italy next week for a chance at a championship game against either Team USA or Team Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, Team Japan’s run is over and Suzuki will be hoping to return to a diamond as soon as possible.