WBC Daily: Japan, dominate Cuba; Czech Republic wins; Demonstrations in Chinese Taipei
Another four great games of the World Baseball Classic are behind us as Pool A and B start to get fascinating. Let’s catch up on the latest from Taichung and Tokyo.
Czech Republic 8, China 5
As one of three teams to make their WBC debut in 2023, along with Nicaragua and Great Britain, the Czech squad was one of the most obvious underdog stories to enter the tournament. It helps that so many of their players are regular dudes with day jobs:
But beyond their normal careers, this is still a team of legitimate talent, many of whom have been participating in the Czech Baseball Extraliga for years. They also have Eric Sogard. Yes, THAT Eric Sogard.
The Czech roster also features several players who are currently successful in the US collegiate ranks, most notably their star centerfielder Marek Chlup. Chlup one of the best hitters for North Greenville University, the number 1 Division II team in the country. He drove in his country’s first run in WBC history with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning.
But even more notable in this game was right-handed pitcher Daniel Padyšák, a native of Prague who is currently a senior on the Charleston Southern baseball team. Less than a week ago, he was in South Carolina coming out of the bullpen against Michigan State. On Friday in Tokyo, he started here in the Czech Republic’s first-ever WBC match. Facing a fellow underdog in China put up a relatively heroic performance against powerhouse Japan, Padyšák went four innings hit-free out of the gate to set the tone for what would become another instant classic in this stellar tournament.
China fought back late and re-took the lead with some magic of its own in the bottom of the seventh, but that only set up another magical moment for Czech first baseman Martin Mužík in the ninth:
Ranked sixth on the Extraliga’s all-time HR list, Mužík’s dramatic dinger sent his dugout into a frenzy. They closed out the win in the bottom of the ninth and Czech baseball history was made.
Regardless of the level of competition, the victory over China has undoubtedly boosted the confidence of the Czech team. And they will need it for their next challenge: Samurai Japan on Saturday night, facing a starter in Roki Sasaki who will most likely throw harder than anyone on the Czech team has ever experienced in their life. We can not wait.
Cuba 13, Panama 4
After a disappointing first two games, Cuba were under pressure to finally demonstrate the offensive firepower their line-up suggested on paper. After scoring only five runs on 11 hits in their first two games, Cuba exploded with 13 runs on 21 (!) hits against Panama and kept their small hopes of getting out of Pool A alive for one more day.
Lefty starter Andy Otero was solid for Panama through his three innings, but the bullpen behind him was definitely not. Panama led 4-2 for five innings before a series of four consecutive relievers gave up multiple runs each as the game hurriedly slipped away. The high-profile White Sox duo of Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. finally looked like the big league stars we know, as they combined for five hits and six RBI as two of seven Cuban batters to record a multi-hit game.
Panama and Cuba are now each at 1-2 in Pool A and will each need to win their last games and get some help from the other results to advance to the quarter-finals.
Japan 13, Korea 4
After a devastating loss to Australia, Korea had their backs against the wall heading into Game 2 against their biggest rivals. They came out early and found quick success against Yu Darvish, including another giant blast from catcher Eui-ji Yang to go up 3-0.
It seemed that Korea was ready to bounce back after losing their opener.
Or not.
This is what makes Samurai Japan so remarkable. Instead of panicking that one of their aces was struggling, Japan could calmly turn to their deep stable of talented arms to keep the game under control. The four relievers who followed Darvish gave up only one more run on three basehits, struckout eight batters and walked none. After a solo homer by Kunwoo Park in the sixth narrowed the deficit to two, the Japanese pitchers retired the last 11 Korean batters of the game in a row. It was just light out.
Korea vs Japan Highlights
Japan took on rival Korea in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Japan was led by Kensuke Kondoh and Shohei Ohtani, both of whom drove in two runs.
On the other hand, Korea’s thin bullpen was no match for the fraught Japanese lineup, who methodically tacked run after run until the game spiraled completely out of control. Shohei Ohtani had another nonchalant 2-for-3 night with two walks, but the star in this one was new Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who went 3-for-3 with five RBI’s. Right fielder Kensuke Kondoh – starting in the outfield for Japan after Seiya Suzuki’s withdrawal due to injury – homered in the fifth.
New fan favorite Lars Nootbaar also showed up with two hits and one of the best catches of the tournament so far:
Japan piled on late and nearly caused the mercy rule in the 8th before settling for a comfortable nine-run victory.
The main takeaway from this one is that Japan finds its groove, while Korea is anything but toast. But the focus in Group B must now shift to Australia, which already has a real chance of reaching the quarter-finals with a victory over Korea. They were off on Friday, with their next game on Saturday-afternoon vs. China.
Chinese Taipei 11, Italy 7
It was a treat to watch Japan play at the Tokyo Dome, but the atmosphere at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium for Chinese Taipei’s game against Italy on Friday night was truly something to behold. Aside from the party-like environment, this clash made for a much more competitive and exciting game than Korea/Japan for those on the East Coast who watched the ball early.
The home team went out early with an impressive blast from one of their stars, former big leaguer Tzu-Wei Lin.
From there, the back-and-forth battle continued, with the odds chart reflecting a terrifying rollercoaster that only the most ambitious thrill-seekers would be happy to take a ride on. Italy’s offense continued the momentum of their opener against Cuba and immediately hit back with two in the second inning, four in the fourth and one in the fifth. But holding onto a two-run lead heading into sixth, the bullpen began to stretch uncomfortably.
With the relentless and overwhelming energy of the crowd behind them, the comeback for Chinese Taipei was underway. The stadium went berserk when Yu Chang launched a tying homer in the bottom of the sixth:
They tacked one more time before Kungkuan Giljegiljaw put the exclamation mark on an incredible evening in Taichung:
WOW.
That was fun. And to think that group C and D haven’t even started yet! We’ll see you here again tomorrow for the next edition of WBC Daily.
Top stories from FOX Sports:
Get more out of Major League Baseball
