How Teamworks Is Supporting the Defending Champions at the World Baseball Classic
As the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) gets underway, all eyes are once again on Samurai Japan, the country’s national baseball team and defending champions.
The tournament officially began on March 5, with Japan playing its opening game on March 6. Since then, the team has made a powerful start to its title defense, securing three victories in their first three games and quickly establishing themselves as one of the tournament’s dominant forces.
While the impressive performances on the field have captured headlines, they also reflect the meticulous preparation happening behind the scenes.
According to recent reporting by Japanese business newspaper Nikkei, and sports writer Masayoshi Niwa, one of the lesser-known elements supporting the team’s preparation is advanced analytics technology, with Teamworks Game Intelligence described by Niwa as the “hidden force” helping the team analyze performance, prepare for opponents, and inform decision-making.
Read the full article here.
A New Layer of Preparation
Baseball has long embraced statistics, but modern analytics platforms now allow teams to go far deeper than traditional box scores.
Through advanced data models and game intelligence tools, coaching staff can study pitching matchups, evaluate opponent tendencies, and simulate potential scenarios before stepping onto the field.
This kind of preparation can be particularly valuable in international tournaments like the WBC, where teams must quickly analyze opponents and adapt strategies across a compressed schedule.
Platforms like Teamworks Game Intelligence help teams transform massive datasets into clear insights that coaches and analysts can apply directly to game planning and decision-making.
Japan’s opening game performance, including the record-setting offensive inning, offered an early glimpse of how preparation and execution can come together when players and staff have access to the right insights at the right time.
For Samurai Japan, this analytical layer complements the experience of coaches and scouts, allowing the team to blend traditional baseball expertise with data-driven insights.
More Than Technology — A Partnership
One of the differentiators highlighted in the Nikkei coverage is that the support behind the team goes beyond the technology itself.
Leonard Yang, Technical Product Manager (Baseball) at Teamworks, has been working directly with the team and is also traveling with them to ensure the tools are fully integrated into their preparation process.
“Our goal is not simply to provide software,” says Yang. “We work closely with the coaching staff to translate complex data into practical insights that can support decisions on the field. Whether it’s preparing for opponents or reviewing performance trends, we aim to ensure the technology fits seamlessly into the team’s workflow.”
That hands-on collaboration reflects a broader philosophy behind the platform: Teamworks doesn’t just deliver analytics tools, it partners with teams to help them get the most value from them.
The Pressure of Defending a Title
Samurai Japan enters the 2026 tournament carrying both momentum and pressure.
The national program, which brings together top professional and amateur players under the banner of “Samurai Japan”, has built a strong reputation internationally and currently sits among the world’s top-ranked baseball nations.
But success in tournaments like the World Baseball Classic requires more than talent.
Teams must navigate unfamiliar opponents, limited preparation time, and intense national expectations.
Japan’s emphatic opening win shows how quickly a tournament can shift when a team finds its rhythm, but maintaining that momentum across the entire competition will require continued focus and preparation.
In that environment, every marginal advantage matters.
For Japan, combining elite players, experienced coaches, and advanced game intelligence tools could provide exactly that.
A New Era of Baseball Preparation
As baseball continues to evolve, analytics and technology are becoming increasingly embedded in how teams prepare, compete, and evaluate performance.
The Nikkei article highlights a broader shift happening across professional sports: technology is no longer just a back-office tool, it is becoming a competitive asset on the field.
For Samurai Japan, that transformation is already underway.
And as the team continues its World Baseball Classic campaign following its historic-setting opening victory, the preparation behind the scenes, including the “hidden force” of data, may prove just as important as the action between the lines.
Interested in learning more about Teamworks Game Intelligence?
Learn more about Teamworks Game Intelligence here or get in touch with our team to explore how leading teams are using data to gain a competitive edge.