March 24, 2006

Rising Sun: Japan wins the World Baseball Classic

By DREW BONIFANT
atb001@marietta.edu

March 20th was supposed to feature a World Baseball Classic final consisting of the United States and either the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, or even Puerto Rico. After all, those were the teams with Major Leaguers, who were apparently the world’s greatest baseball players.

Instead the finals consisted of Japan and Cuba. Japan claimed the inaugural title after they defeated the Caribbean Cinderella, Cuba, in the championship game 10-6.

Oddly enough, Cuba was originally left out of the WBC picture due to their long-standing political feud with the U.S.
While teams such as the U.S. and Dominican Republic sputtered and struggled to get consistent offensive efforts from their All-Stars, Japan found ways to overcome heart-wrenching defeats and other setbacks to sink their claws into the championship round.

Japan found themselves on the brink of elimination at seemingly every point in the tournament. They were devoured by the top team from its region, Korea, in the first round, 3-2. But Japan managed to make it into the quarterfinals as a runner-up. It was there they were robbed of another win, this time to the United States due to a blown call. They suffered a second loss to Korea, 2-1.

However, despite going 1-2 in the quarter-finals, Japan made it into the semifinal thanks to the U.S. when they dropped a stunner to Mexico, 2-1.

Finally given a break, Japan couldn’t be stopped. They recovered from two debilitating losses to Korea and defeated their rivals, 6-0. They later defeated Cuba, who earned wins over heavy favorites Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Japan enjoyed their best offensive output of the tournament with 10 runs to earn the world title.
Japan’s wins are credited to excellent pitching, led by tournament MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka, timely hitting, smart baserunning and, above all, terrific managing.

While powerhouses such as the U.S. and Dominican Republic waited for the home runs and seven-run innings, Japan manufactured runs and took advantage of superb pitching to knock off the heavy favorites.

Japan carrying itself to the top and illustrated how the game can and should be played. They successfully staked their claim as one of the leading baseball countries in the world today. And therefore proving the Classic is legitimate.