In Samurai Japan’s first game of this World Baseball Classic, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was unsettled by a formidable offense.

His own.

Japan scored 10 runs in the second inning of its 13-0 mercy-rule victory (Due to early termination rules in the WBC, the game is called after seven innings if a team is leading by 10+ runs) over Taiwan on Friday night at the Tokyo Dome, the deluge of runs forcing Yamamoto to remain on the bench for more than 27 minutes.

Yamamoto didn’t complain.

“The momentum came to Japan’s side all at once with the home run,” he told reporters in Japanese.

With the home run in question, what was expected to be a showcase for Yamamoto quickly became another legacy-enhancing moment for Shohei Ohtani.

Right-hander Hao-Chun Cheng on the mound for Taiwan.

The bases were loaded for Ohtani.

The game was tied, 0-0.

The count 2-1.

Chen floated a curveball over the plate, and Ohtani golfed it into the right-field stands.

Absolute pandemonium in the stadium.

“The moment I hit it, I thought it would go out,” Ohtani said. “But I really just wanted us to get the first run. Even a sacrifice fly would have been fine.” 

Japan went on to score six more runs in the inning, the last of them driven in on a single by Ohtani, who was just a triple shy of the cycle at this point. The MVP of Ohtani, who led off the game with a double, went 3-4 with five RBI’s.

Ohtani’s five RBI’s in the second inning was a WBC record for most RBI’s recorded by a player in a single inning. Japan’s 10 runs in the second inning was also a WBC record for most runs scored in an inning, besting Team USA’s 9-run first inning against Canada in 2023 and Cuba’s 9-run inning against Mexico in 2009.

“That was the inning that really decided the game,” Ohtani told reporters postgame. “After scoring the first few runs, we kept our focus and worked some walks, so I think we managed the game well from there. Overall, I think it was a good game.”

In reality, this was more of a celebration than a competition, as the game was called after seven innings.

Much of Japan was upset by the WBC’s disappearance from network television – Netflix has the exclusive rights to the tournament in Japan – but that anger dissipated by the time Yamamoto delivered his first pitch.

Generally speaking, Japan enjoyed limited success in team sports on the international stage before it won the inaugural WBC in 2006. Soccer was threatening to overtake baseball as the country’s most popular sport, but no more. Baseball has been the undisputed king ever since.

The importance placed by the Japanese on the WBC was particularly evident before the game, as there was widespread outrage over Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ revelation that Yamamoto was slated to pitch three innings.

The indignation was comically misguided, as if knowledge of Japan’s pitching plans would somehow give a completely overmatched Taiwanese team a chance. Plus, there is a pitch-count limit of 65 for group-stage games. Yamamoto theoretically could have pitched more than three innings but not much more.

In the end, Yamamoto logged 2 ⅔ innings. He retired the side in the bottom of the first, but after Japan’s 10-run inning in the top of the second, he encountered trouble putting hitters away. He walked Yu Chan on nine pitches. Kungkuan Giljegiljaw grounded into a double play, but Nien-Ting Wu worked an eight-pitch at-bat before grounding out.

Japan tacked on three more runs in the top of the third to extend their lead to 13-0, and Yamamoto never regained his rhythm from the first inning. He walked consecutive batters to load the bases in the third inning and was replaced by Shoma Fujihara. Yamamoto’s pitch count was at 53.

Behind the plate was Kenya Wakatsuki, who caught Yamamoto over seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese league.

“I was happy we were able to form a battery for the first time in a while,” Yamamoto said. “For that game to be a national team game made me even happier.”

Samurai Japan will return to action on Saturday morning when it faces Team Korea. First pitch is set for 2 a.m. PT on FS1.

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post SportsFacebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!