TOKYO — The reigning victor, Japan, smashed four round-trippers, with two contributed by Chicago Cubs powerhouse Seiya Suzuki, prevailing over South Korea 8-6 on Saturday to maintain an unblemished record in Pool C of the World Baseball Classic.
Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida also launched long balls for Japan. Ohtani’s blast came after his grand slam on Friday in a 13-0 rout against Taiwan.
Both teams demonstrated more offensive power than pitching prowess, especially during the initial four frames of a slugfest where they collectively tallied five home runs, highlighted by Suzuki’s pair at the Tokyo Dome.
Japan and Australia currently stand at 2-0 in Pool C contests and are scheduled to face each other on Sunday as the primary contenders to advance to the quarterfinals. In the other Sunday match, South Korea (1-1) will confront Taiwan (1-2).
South Korea seized a 3-0 advantage in the opening half of the first inning against starting hurler Yusei Kikuchi, thanks to successive base hits from Do Yeong Kim, Jahmai Jones, and Jung Hoo Lee, followed by a two-run double from Bo Gyeong Moon.
Suzuki then connected for a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, narrowing Japan’s deficit to 3-2.
Japan surged forward to a 5-3 lead in the third inning, propelled by solo shots from Ohtani, Suzuki, and Yoshida.
South Korea engaged in its own display of power hitting in the top of the fourth, evening the score at 5-5 with Hyeseong Kim’s two-run homer off Japan’s second pitcher, Hiromi Itoh. This marked the fifth long ball exchanged between the two squads through four innings.
Japan achieved a decisive breakthrough in the seventh frame, extending its lead to 8-5. Young Kyu Kim, who had entered in relief earlier in the inning, issued a walk to Suzuki with the bases loaded, forcing in a run, and Yoshida subsequently delivered a single to bring in two additional runs.
The Koreans managed to score once in the eighth to make it 8-6 but left the bases loaded when Yuki Matsumoto struck out Hyeseong Kim.
Atsuki Taneichi was credited with the victory on the mound, while Taisei Ota earned a save. Yeong Hyun Park was tagged with the defeat.
New England Patriots signal-caller Drake Maye was present at the game on Saturday. On Friday, actor Timothée Chalamet and pop vocalist Bad Bunny made an appearance.
Fairchild’s grand slam propels Taiwan to 14-0 win
Stuart Fairchild’s second-inning grand slam propelled Taiwan to a commanding 14-0 triumph over the winless Czech Republic.
This victory represented Taiwan’s initial success in the competition and occurred the day after they were soundly defeated 13-0 by Japan.
The contest was halted under the mercy rule, with Taiwan leading by ten or more runs after seven innings.
Taiwan employed small-ball tactics to establish a 2-0 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on two bunt singles, a double steal, and a throwing miscue by Czech catcher Martin Cervenka. These were Taiwan’s first two scores of the tournament.
The second inning, however, featured big-ball strategy.
With two outs, Czech pitcher Jan Novak surrendered a single and then walked two batters, setting the stage for Fairchild’s powerful hit.
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang claimed the pitching victory, and Novak was recorded as the losing pitcher.
Taiwan added two more tallies in the fourth, another in the fifth, and five in the sixth. They also established a WBC tournament record with seven stolen bases.
Fairchild, who qualified for the team through his Taiwanese mother, is affiliated with the Cleveland Guardians organization.