This is always a fun one. For most North American baseball fans, there are two leagues that exist outside of MLB. Those are the NPB and the KBO, Japan and Korea’s top level of the sport, respectively. However, it is pretty widely acknowledged that the NPB is a rung above the KBO from a talent perspective, and that’s played out in past World Baseball Classics.
Not only has Japan won three of the five previous tournaments — once beating Korea in extra innings in the championship game in 2009 — but the Japanese have dominated the Koreans in more recent matchups. Notably, Japan almost mercy-ruled Korea in pool play in 2023, ending up with a commanding 13-4 victory.
Will Korea get its revenge in the wee hours of the morning on the east coast? Let’s preview this 5:00 a.m. ET WBC tilt with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Korea vs. Japan prediction, preview
Speaking of the mercy rule…
Japan needed only seven innings to defeat Chinese Taipei 13-0 in its first game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Actually, it really only needed three innings, as the Japanese jumped out to their 13-run lead very, very quickly. Japan was a massive favorite in that matchup, so it wasn’t necessarily surprising that it won. Still, it was impressive in its ease. It also happened to play out exactly how a fan would’ve written up such a lopsided win. Tied at zero in the top of the second inning, Shohei Ohtani walked to the plate with the bases loaded. You can probably guess what happened next.
The thing about Ohtani and the WBC? The man shows up for his country. After going 3-for-4 with five RBI against Chinese Taipei, the reigning NL MVP now has seven extra-base hits in his eight career contests at the World Baseball Classic. He also struck out Mike Trout to end the championship game in 2023. Just in case anyone forgot.
Taking the mound for Japan on Saturday morning will be Yusei Kikuchi, who was not on the squad three years ago. Kikuchi is now entering his eighth MLB campaign, after posting a 3.99 ERA across 33 starts for the Angels in 2025. The soon-to-be 35-year-old shouldn’t have too much trouble dealing with Korea’s lineup, even with MLB bats like Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee and Jahmai Jones littered throughout it. Instead, the real test will come in the knockout round, where it’s more than likely the Dominican Republic or Venezuela await.
Kikuchi will be opposed by Young-pyo Ko, a long-time starter for KT Wiz in the KBO. The RHP was quite good in 2025, registering a 3.30 ERA and 3.18 FIP over 161.0 innings. For some context, that FIP was the third-lowest qualified mark for a Korean-born pitcher last season, bested by only Dong Ju Moon and Hyeong Jun So, with the latter having thrown three scoreless innings against the Czech Republic in Korea’s first matchup of the WBC. Needless to say, Japan will present a much higher level of competition than the Czechs.
Korea vs. Japan pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jahmai Jones 2+ Hits (+370)
Is this a little niche? You bet it is. Still, I love these odds for Jones, who regardless of anything else, is an MLB-quality hitter who will be seeing NPB relievers after a couple of plate appearances against Yusei Kikuchi. Jones has already hit a homer in this tournament, and back in 2025, he was one of the best platoon hitters in Major League Baseball. In 122 plate appearances against LHPs, Jones slashed .288/.393/.577 with a 167 wRC+. Korea will probably lose this game, but it won’t be because of its left fielder.
