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For Eric Gagne, the risk is worth the reward when it comes to the World Baseball Classic.
The former Dodgers closer told The Post this week he wants to see Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki all throw for Team Japan next March despite the potential strain on their arms following a long 2025 season.
The three-time All-Star said his reasoning for the desire is simple: “Baseball needs it.”
“I think it’s fun for the fans,” the 2003 National League Cy Young winner said.
“It’s fun for everybody. That’s how you grow the game. You want to see the best players in the world face each other and represent their country.”
Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki all pitched in the 2023 tournament, and the trio played a huge role in leading their country to the title over the United States.
Their return to the event in 2026 normally would be a foregone conclusion, but after the Dodgers relied heavily on all three in their run to their second straight World Series crown this past season, some – including manager Dave Roberts – have preferred they opt for rest.
Gagne, though, said the guys toeing the rubber once more with Japan across their jerseys would be “something that’s very, very good for the game.”
He has first-hand experience with the event.
Gagne didn’t get the opportunity to play during his prime – injuries and contracts got in the way – although he did come out of retirement to suit up for Canada in 2017.
He called it “the best experience I had in baseball.”
“To represent your country on really the biggest stage in the world,” he said, “there’s nothing like it.”
WBC pool play begins March 5, and Japan’s first action is slated for March 6.
So far, Ohtani is the only Japanese Dodgers star to commit to the event, but Gagne made it clear he hopes the others follow suit.
“There is more of a risk, but every time you step on the field there’s a risk there as well,” he said. “I think the game outweighs the risk.”
