Japan secured a spot in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) after a dramatic walk-off win against Mexico. Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff double in the ninth inning sparked a two-run rally that sealed a 6-5 victory for Japan. Ohtani put on an impressive batting practice display before the game, launching tape-measure blasts that nearly cleared the upper deck in rightfield. Despite not being Japan’s starting pitcher for the final, Ohtani was mentally prepared to take the ball if necessary. Roki Sasaki, the Japanese ace who was proclaimed to be the next Ohtani, failed to live up to expectations against Mexico. Randy Arozarena made a remarkable catch in the fifth inning, which left Kazuma Okamoto puzzled. Arozarena leaped to grab a roof-scraping blast and landed back on the track but just stood there, hands on his hips, staring straight ahead.
Japan secured a spot in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final against Team USA after a thrilling walk-off victory over Mexico at loanDepot Park. Shohei Ohtani was instrumental in the ninth inning, hitting a leadoff double and sparking a two-run rally that sealed a 6-5 win for Japan. The usually stoic Ohtani celebrated by raising his arms and flexing upon reaching second base. Giovanny Gallegos walked Masataka Yoshida, and Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run double to set off a wild celebration.
Ohtani put on an impressive batting practice display before the game, launching tape-measure blasts that nearly cleared the upper deck in rightfield. Despite not being Japan’s starting pitcher for the final, Ohtani was mentally prepared to take the ball if necessary. Ohtani acknowledged the difficulty of finding the right time to get ready in the bullpen for a relief appearance as the designated hitter (DH), but he said closing the game remains a possibility.
Roki Sasaki, the Japanese ace proclaimed to be the next Shohei Ohtani, failed to live up to expectations against Mexico. Sasaki’s fastball averaged 99.9 mph and maxed out at 101.8, but he hung a splitter with two outs in the fourth inning to Luis Arias, who hammered a three-run homer that kept Mexico in front until Yoshida’s tying blast in the seventh.
Ohtani was thrilled that Japan had made it to the championship game, saying that it had been a while since he had played in an elimination game in a playoff atmosphere. His Angels have not qualified for the postseason since his arrival in 2018. The last time Ohtani was the DH and stepped in as the closer was in 2016, when he sealed the clincher to get the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters into the Japan Series. Ohtani recalled warming up, getting another at-bat, and then taking the mound.
Mexico had taken the lead again in the eighth inning on an RBI double by Alex Verdugo and an RBI single by Isaac Paredes, but their bullpen couldn’t hold it. Gallegos had to face Japan’s top three hitters in the ninth and failed to record an out. Japan’s win set up a mouth-watering clash against Team USA in the WBC final.
Shohei Ohtani expressed his delight at Japan’s qualification for the championship game of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but emphasized the importance of finishing in first place. “Obviously, it’s a big accomplishment,” he said. “But there’s a huge difference between getting first and second. So I’ll do all I can to get that first place.” In the fifth inning of the semifinal match against Mexico, leftfielder Randy Arozarena made an impressive catch that left Kazuma Okamoto puzzled. Arozarena leaped to grab a roof-scraping blast and landed back on the track but just stood there, hands on his hips, staring straight ahead. The Mexico fans went crazy until Arozarena finally showed he had caught the ball.
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