Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani exploded in the World Baseball Classic Friday morning as Samurai Japan mercy-ruled Chinese Taipei 13-0.
Ohtani’s grand slam is naturally grabbing a lot of the attention surrounding the game, but with an additional single and double, he had a chance to hit for the cycle, one of the rarest achievements in the sport.
In the fourth inning, Ohtani had a shot at a triple and at first, it looked as if he had done enough.
A hard-hit drive down the first base line is exactly the kind of hit he needed to accomplish the feat, but the first baseman for Chinese Taipei was able to snag it.
One of the game’s more prominent fans provided a reaction shot that encapsulated how most people felt.
Recording artist Bad Bunny, rocking his Team Puerto Rico hat, was shown in the stands with his arms crossed, grimacing at what could have been.
He then gave a few claps for the effort on both sides.
Is Anyone Having a Better Year Than Bad Bunny?
The singer born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is having himself quite a 2026, and he’s doing so by bridging the worlds of music and sports.
In February alone, he took home the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” then followed that up a week later with a stellar halftime show at Super Bowl LX.
Bad Bunny also is an owner of the Cangrejeros de Santurce basketball team, which plays in Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional.
When Will Shohei Ohtani Play Again in the WBC?
Ohtani will hit the field again early Saturday morning as Japan faces Team Korea, which includes fellow Dodger Hyeseong Kim.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched Friday for Japan and is unlikely to appear again in this matchup.
If you want to watch this matchup live, though, you’ll probably need an alarm clock. First pitch is set for 2 a.m.
The game will be broadcast on FS1.
