November 10, Tokyo Dome. It was a scheduled day off, with no team workout. Still, three pitchers showed up on the field. What kind of heart brings a pitcher to the mound on his day off? Chunichi’s Yuto Kanemaru climbed not the bullpen mound but the real one. In the quiet dome, only the sound of the mitt echoed. Forty-six pitches. Fastballs mixed with curves and sliders, every pattern tested — windup, set position, quick motion. “I wanted to make it as close to a real game as possible, so I pitched here.” He feels good. “The cheers in the real games will be incredible, so I want to show my pitching.” Two nights later, on the 12th, Kanemaru is the likely starter for the opener against Taiwan, on this very mound.

“What Samurai Japan Is Asked For Is a Championship”

For manager Hirohito Iguchi (51), this tournament is his first test. It is the first real competition he has led since taking charge of Samurai Japan in July of this year. Samurai Japan is the nickname of Japan’s national baseball team. Japan won the inaugural tournament in 2017 and the second edition in 2023. Now they are chasing a third straight title.

Iguchi has not hidden his goal since the day he landed at Miyazaki Airport on the 2nd. After a welcome ceremony where more than 50 fans greeted him with bouquets of bougainvillea, he said: “Samurai Japan is expected to win. I want to work steadily toward the goal of standing atop Asia.”

On the 6th, the third day of camp in Miyazaki, his message was the same ahead of the first practice game. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it so we can win. I hope we prepare well for the tournament.” Iguchi does not see this as a tournament that is only about winning. “This leads to the Premier12 and the Olympics. I want to take a good look at these players.” The Premier12 is a 12-nation tournament. What begins at Tokyo Dome on the night of the 12th is not just a four-day tournament. It is where the next Samurai Japan gets chosen.

Three Starters in the Dome on a Day Off

The three who showed up on the 10th were Kanemaru (23), Kazuyuki Takemaru (24, Yomiuri), and Natsuki Takeuchi (25, Seibu). After finishing camp in Miyazaki on the 9th and moving to Tokyo, the starting rotation still did not rest. Kanemaru threw while pitching coach Kurano watched from the batter’s box. Kurano said: “It was good. He’s adjusting smoothly. He’s been to the WBC, he knows what he has to do, and he has the experience, so his mentality feels calm. I don’t know which game he’ll pitch, but I’m looking forward to it.” The WBC is the World Baseball Classic, baseball’s World Cup.

Takeuchi pitched two innings in the practice game against Lotte on the 7th — two hits, two strikeouts, one run. He gave up a solo home run, but the feel in his fingertips is coming back. “I think my condition is coming up.” The three pitchers spent the day talking about the rosin and the feel of the ball. Takeuchi said: “The age range among the pitchers is surprisingly wide, but it feels natural, like the age gaps don’t matter.” The one holding the pitching staff together is its oldest member, 29-year-old Shunya Morita (Yomiuri). “Morita-san is doing it for us.”

Tokyo Dome holds good memories for Takeuchi. Last season, he beat Yomiuri here with six scoreless innings. “The stands are close. I think the height matters, so I want to use that well.” It is a tournament for players 24 and under, but the conversations on the mound already sound like pros.

Twenty Years Old, Trusted With the Final Out

The name to watch most in this tournament is the youngest player on the team, 20-year-old Hibiki Shinohara (Seibu). In his second year out of high school, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft. On the 8th, in the practice game against Hiroshima that Japan won 5-1, he came on in the ninth and closed it out with no hits, no runs, and two strikeouts. He struck out the first batter swinging on a 153 km/h (95 mph) fastball, the fastest of the day, and got the next one out on sliders alone. He walked two, including a pitch-clock violation, but never wavered and shut the door. The pitch clock is the rule that a pitcher must throw within a set time.

This season: 46 games, 3-3 with one save and 31 holds, a 2.22 ERA. A hold is what a middle reliever earns for protecting his team’s lead. He is only the second player ever to reach 30 holds in his second year out of high school, after Yoshinobu Yamamoto — the Japanese ace now pitching for the LA Dodgers, who also broke out as a reliever in his second year out of high school, appearing in 54 games. That is why people call him “the second Yamamoto.” Iguchi has hinted at using him as the closer. “Nakamori and Shinohara threw really well out of the back end. I get the feeling it might end up being that order.” Shinohara himself is not backing down. “I’m a middle reliever, so I want to pitch as late as possible.” And he added: “We’re going for the championship, and a three-peat is on the line. I want to work hard so that streak doesn’t end.”

The Leadoff Hitter and the First Pitch — a Tournament of Firsts

Iguchi’s thinking shows in the lineup, too. He plans to bat SoftBank’s Tomoya Masaki, picked as an overage player, leadoff. An overage player is one picked past the age limit. Masaki starred against DeNA in the Japan Series, and he bats leadoff for his club as well. “The key is where in the lineup you put a guy who can hit for power. Masaki bats leadoff for the Hawks, so I think of him as a leadoff hitter who can threaten the opponent and put pressure on them.” No. 2 is Muneyama (Rakuten) and No. 3 is Nishikawa (Lotte). In the Lotte game on the 7th, Kanemaru, Takeuchi, Ishida (DeNA), and Takemaru each threw two innings, and Suzuki (SoftBank) came on in the ninth. The purpose was one thing: “to build game feel.”

The first pitch of the opener carries another first. The ceremonial first pitch for the Taiwan game on the 12th will be thrown by Taiwanese baseball star Yang Dai-kang. “I’m truly honored to take on the important role of throwing the ceremonial first pitch. I’ve spent my whole life in baseball, but this is the first time I’ve stood on the mound for a first pitch. I may be nervous on the day, but I want to throw with all my heart, carrying my support for the young players of both countries and my gratitude to all the baseball fans!” A man who has spent his life in baseball will stand on a first-pitch mound for the first time. The Korea game on the 13th goes to Kodai Makino, the Australia game on the 14th to Mitsuki Setoguchi of Nogizaka46, and if Japan reaches the final, the championship game on the 15th to actor Yamato Kawachi.

Tournament Guide

The Luxus Asia Professional Baseball Championship 2026 runs November 12–15 at Tokyo Dome. Four teams take part: Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), and South Korea. Rosters are 28 players. In principle, teams are built from players 24 or younger or within three years of turning pro, with up to three overage players aged 29 or younger. The pitch clock and PitchCom are in use, and if a game is tied after nine innings, a tiebreaker begins with runners on first and second and no outs. PitchCom is the device that lets the catcher and pitcher share signs electronically, and the tiebreaker is the extra-innings format that starts with runners already on base.

• Thursday, November 12: South Korea–Australia 12:00 / Chinese Taipei–Japan 19:00
• Friday, November 13: Australia–Chinese Taipei 12:00 / Japan–South Korea 19:00
• Saturday, November 14: Australia–Japan 12:00 / South Korea–Chinese Taipei 19:00
• Sunday, November 15: Third-place game 11:00 / Final 19:00

On the night of the 12th, it is not just one pitcher standing on the Tokyo Dome mound. The moment a 20-year-old closing candidate records the 27th out, the faces that will represent Japan at the Premier12 two years from now, and at the Olympics after that, will begin to take shape. On a night when a man who has spent his life in baseball throws his first-ever ceremonial pitch, the youngest Samurai Japan opens its first page.

Watch Tokyo Dome with us on the night of the 12th. The first page of the next generation begins with the quiet sound of a mitt.

Sources: Sanspo (Japan), 2026-11-09 / Sanspo, 2026-11-08 / Sanspo, 2026-11-06 / Sanspo, 2026-11-02 / Daily Sports (Japan), 2026-11-10 / Nikkan Sports (Japan), 2026-11-10 / Chunichi Sports (Japan), 2026-11-10