Although Japan struggled in the opening rounds of the 2006 WBC, subsequent victories over South Korea and Cuba delivered a championship to Sadaharu Oh's team.
A trio of Beijing Olympic gold medals, Roki Sasaki's perfect game and boxer Naoya Inoue's success were among 2022's defining sports highlights for Japan.
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows infielder went 13 games without a homer before completing the season in style with a solo blast in the seventh inning.
