The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) semifinal match between Japan and Mexico was held on the 21st at Londipo Park in Miami, Florida, USA. In the bottom of the ninth inning, when Mexico led 5-4, Japan’s leading batter Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) opened the door with a double in mid-month against Mexican closer Giovanni Gallegos (St. Louis Cardinals). The shaken Gallegos did not face Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox), who hit a 3-run home run to tie the score in the 7th inning, and gave up a walk to fill the first base.The reason Yoshida skipped even though he could have been tied was because the follow-up hitter was Munetaka Murakami (Yakult Swallows). Murakami, who hit 56 home runs in the Japanese professional baseball last year and set a new record for the most home runs in a single season in Japan, was highly anticipated in this WBC and was appointed as the fourth hitter, but showed the worst performance until the quarterfinals. Prior to the match, he was only 4 hits in 17 at-bats, and his batting order dropped to 5 from the quarterfinal match against Italy. On this day, even in the preceding four at-bats, his hitting feeling was the worst, to the extent that he only struck out three. The choice of the Mexican bench seemed natural in a way.
Did you say ‘Form is temporary, but class is eternal’? Murakami’s self-esteem was hurt, and the bat finally turned fiercely worthy of the name. In the ball count 1B-1S, when Gallegos’ ball was driven into the middle, Murakami countered it and hit the ball directly into the center fence. In the meantime, the fast-footed Ohtani and the runner Shuto Ukyo (Softbank Hawks) stepped on the home plate and the game ended as it was. Japan beat Mexico 6-5 with Murakami’s walk-off double at the critical moment to advance to the final. In the 2013 and 2017 WBC, Japan, which failed to advance to the final after being pushed by Puerto Rico (1-3) and the United States (1-2) in the semifinals, reached the WBC final stage 14 years after 2009.
The match unfolded in a way that Japan followed when Mexico, who had advanced to the semifinal stage for the first time in WBC history by defeating the United States in the first round of the finals, ran away. In Mexico, Luis Urias (Milwaukee Bucks) hit a thunderbolt-like 3-point home run against Rocky Sasaki (Chiba Lotte), who boasts a fast ball of 164km per hour in the 4th inning. went ahead 카지노사이트
Japan tied the score with Yoshida’s 3 runs in the 7th inning, which was trailing 0-3. In the 8th inning, Mexico, which had a blast, seemed to solidify its victory by winning two runs with consecutive doubles by Randy Arozarena (Tampa Bay Rays) and Alex Verdugo (Boston Red Sox) and a timely hit by Isaac Paredes (Tampa Bay Rays). He could not overcome the last hurdle in the 9th inning and drank the bitter cup of defeat.
Ohtani, who led the Japanese national team, failed to hit a home run that day, but walked in the 7th inning and laid the foundation for Yoshida’s tie. did. Ohtani is recording 2 wins, 2 wins, 2.08 ERA as a pitcher, 0.450 batting average (9 hits in 20 bats), 1 home run, 8 RBIs, and 9 runs as a hitter in this WBC. If Japan wins the championship, it is evaluated that the best player (MVP) of the tournament will be won by Ohtani.
Japan will play the final match against the United States on the 22nd at Londi Po Park. Right after the semifinal match, Ohtani said, “On the best stage, I will meet the best opponent. First of all, I will face tomorrow with a happy heart, and I want to win without fail.” Ohtani is also expected to play as a bullpen pitcher in the final. When the reporters asked if he was planning to pitch as a bullpen pitcher in the finals, he said, “Yes. Everyone on the Japanese team is doing their best to turn their bodies into powder. I will do my best from the first at-bat to the last like today.”