BUNKYO CITY, Tokyo - Shugo Maki, the exuberant player and captain of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, put the finishing touches on a sixth-inning comeback with a grand slam that propelled Japan to a 9-6 victory over Venezuela in a showdown between the top two teams in the WBSC Premier12 presented by RAXUS at the Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō City, Tokyo on Friday night.
The home run was a wake-up call for the Venezuelans, who had kept the Japanese hitters in check for four innings and had just taken a narrow lead in the top of the sixth. This lead came from their second two-run home run of the game, hit by their cleanup hitter and designated hitter, Carlos Pérez.
"Sakakura hit a home run to get us closer and then Kozono came on base with two outs. So it was more of an effort from everyone to create scoring opportunities and I think the home run was thanks to everyone's contributions," Maki said during the press conference.
"When I heard the crowd roar, it was really the best feeling I had. The energy in the stadium was amazing and I'm very happy with the result," he concluded.
Japan had taken an early lead in the game, sending former major league starter Ricardo Pinto back to the bench. Pinto barely got one out and was in constant trouble, getting hit hard by the middle of the Japanese lineup to plate three runs in the first inning.
Kaito Kozono kicked things off by smashing the first pitch from Pinto for a double. Center fielder Ryosuke Tatsumi then hit another double off the left field wall, bringing in Kozono for the 1-0 lead. Shota Morishita added a single to center, making it 2-0, and Pinto walked Ryoya Kurihara and Maki Shugo, prompting Venezuela to bring in left-hander Johander Méndez from the bullpen. Sosuke Genda hit a grounder resulting in a force out at second base, but Venezuela couldn't complete the double play at first, allowing Morishita to score and extend the lead to 3-0.
Against right-handed starter Hiroto Saiki, Venezuela made a comeback in the second inning. With one out, Herlis Rodríguez hit a single, followed by left fielder Angel Reyes hitting a two-run homer, narrowing Venezuela's deficit to 3-2.
Saiki would recover, keeping the score the same for five innings, allowing only the two hits in the second inning with one walk, five strikeouts, nine whiffs in 88 pitches.
And although Venezuela's bullpen held the lead until Perez's homer in the sixth, the truth is that Samurai Japan missed countless scoring opportunities, leaving seven men on base in the first three innings, including the second inning, where the bases were loaded.
On this, Japanese manager Hirokazu Ibata said "We took a three-run lead, but when you miss opportunities to score more runs, that can lead to a situation like this. If we had taken advantage of those opportunities, I think the game could have been a little more comfortable."
When Venezuela silenced the entire Tokyo Dome crowd by scoring three runs in the sixth inning against the first Japanese reliever, left-hander Haruto Inoue, it seemed that Japan's streak of 25 consecutive wins in international competitions would end there. However, Japan would have the answer quickly in the bottom of the inning.
Catcher Shogo Sakakura initiated an impressive six-run inning with a home run to center field, narrowing Japan's deficit to 5-4. At this point, Venezuela's bullpen faced significant challenges, with coach Omar López frequently switching pitchers, using three more relievers who eventually loaded the bases. The inning's last pitcher, right-hander Pedro García, walked Kurihara, enabling Kozono to score and tie the game.
The rest is history. García was unable to overpower Maki, who sealed the play with his powerful hit to left field on the second pitch he encountered.
Following Inoue's rough beginning in the sixth, Japan's bullpen took over, deploying four pitchers who collectively delivered three innings, allowing just one run. They gave up five hits, three in the ninth inning, and recorded three strikeouts.
Japan extended its winning streak to 26 consecutive games, and this Saturday, the team will showcase it against Chinese Taipei at 7:00 p.m. (local time), 5:00 a.m. (Cuba and Eastern U.S. time) at the Tokyo Dome. A victory over Taipei will secure Japan's place in the final of this Premier12, where they aim to defend their 2019 title.
VENEZUELA - JAPAN - Highlights
Chinese Taipei 8, USA 2
A day after suffering its first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan bounced back with a solid 8-2 win over Team USA yesterday, keeping its hopes of a place in Sunday's final alive.
The Super Round victory was Chinese Taipei's first triumph over Team USA in a major international baseball tournament since 2003. The win occurred during the 2003 Baseball World Cup quarterfinals, with a score of 2-1. Additionally, this marked the third occasion in international competitions where Chinese Taipei has defeated both Cuba and the USA in the same event.
The game closely resembled the earlier matchup between Venezuela and Japan, with Taipei maintaining a narrow 3-2 advantage until a significant offensive surge in the seventh inning.
Facing Team USA's 36-year-old relief pitcher Spencer Patton, Taipei loaded the bases with two hits and a walk, allowing shortstop Chian Kun-Yu to smash a bases-clearing triple off the center field wall, securing a commanding 6-2 lead for the Asian team.
“I was ready to take advantage of my second bases-loaded at-bat of the game,” Chian said during the press conference. He then added, “The hit was like a pill of comfort for the team.”
“Everyone on this team has been doing their best, working hard for the team, for Taiwan, for the Taiwanese fans and for those who traveled to Japan to cheer us on,” he continued. “It feels like we are all united and that is an amazing feeling.”
With a 2-1 lead, first baseman Pan Chie-Kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 3-1.
Cheng-Yu Chang's double and Chen-Wei Chen's triple had given Taipei a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning off Team USA's first reliever, right-hander Sam Benschoter.
In the bottom of the inning, Team USA responded with a single from Termarr Johnson, a double from Willie Maciver, and a sacrifice fly from Justin Cranwford. They added another run in the fifth inning with a solo home run by Colby Thomas.
However, the underwhelming American team's offense was halted at just two runs, constrained by eight Taipei pitchers. From the sixth inning onward, the final four pitchers delivered four scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and achieving five strikeouts. In total, Taipei struck out 10 Team USA hitters.
Following the triple by Chinese Taipei, they added two more runs in the inning, completing a five-run inning that secured the final score of 8-2.
The win leaves Chinese Taipei with a clear chance of reaching the final on Sunday, but to achieve this, they must defeat Samurai Japan on Saturday or wait for the Americans to beat Venezuela. Meanwhile, Team USA needs to win against Venezuela by 10 runs and hope Japan defeats Taipei, which would result in all teams, except for undefeated Japan, having a 1-2 record, thus relying on the tournament's tiebreaker coefficient to determine their fate.
CHINESE TAIPEI - USA - Highlights
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