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Report: Japanese star Shohei Otani will not play in World Baseball Classic due to injury

Japanese superstar Shohei Otani will not pitch for World Baseball Classic due to a right ankle injury, Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama told reporters.

The 22-year-old was expected to be one of the marquee players of the tournament and was named to Japan's initial 27-man squad. Japan won the inaugural WBC in 2006 before defending its title in 2009. The Dominican Republic won the tournament in 2013.

Otani is a dual-threat baseball player with a fastball that was reportedly clocked at 102 miles per hour. He finished last season in the Nippon Professional Baseball League with a 1.