I feel really proud I'm one of only two to be playing in the final. I sense Major League Baseball is hurting a little bit.

This is probably the biggest moment of my baseball career.

With the World Baseball Classic, this year is a bit different. Our goal will be to win the tournament and after that I'll start thinking about the regular season.

This was the most humiliating day of my baseball career.

I heard that in the United States the level of baseball was the highest in the world. So it was only natural that I would want to go there, as a baseball player.

The more that Japanese players go to the big leagues to play and succeed, the more that will serve to inspire young kids in Japan to want to become baseball players when they grow up.