Astros get Tatsuya Imai WBC update before Shohei Ohtani, Japan face Venezuela

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai is focused on his first Major League Baseball season. 

After signing a three-year, $54 million contract with the AL West club during the offseason, the Japanese right-hander is ready to showcase the skills that made him a three-time All-Star in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Saitama Seibu Lions. 

The last time Imai represented Japan in an international baseball tournament was at the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship in 2016 in Taichung, Taiwan.

He's never fully committed to playing for Japan at the World Baseball Classic, and that doesn't seem like it's going to change for this year's tournament either. 

Imai on Shohei Ohtani, Team Japan: 'They don't need me' 

Japan is preparing for a quarterfinals matchup against Ronald Acuna Jr. and Venezuela on Saturday after finishing a perfect 4-0 in Pool C. Imai is part of their designated pitcher pool, but doesn't find it likely he ends up making an appearance. 

"I think they're going to be able to win it no matter what," Imai told The Athletic's Chandler Rome, through the pitcher's interpreter. "They don't need me." 

Imai might be right. Japan's pitching staff has allowed just eight earned runs and 20 hits in 34 innings. Their 49 strikeouts rank second behind the USA's 57. 

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