The World Baseball Classic continued Thursday morning as Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan showed why they are one of the favorites in the event against Team China.
Ohtani threw four shutout innings on the mound while driving in two runs at the plate for Team Japan in its first WBC appearance, which came in front of a packed house at the Tokyo Dome.
These are the best moments of the match!
FINAL: Japan 8. China 1
sit them down!
Ohtani’s stuff was working early, and he looked poised for a stellar start as he struck out the first batter of the game with his signature splitter in the first.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani records his first shutout of the 2023 World Baseball Classic against China!
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani struck out the first batter he faced in the 2023 World Baseball Classic against China.
The home crowd gave Ohtani a standing ovation as he approached the plate for his first at-bat, and China wisely stayed away from his power, getting him on base on four pitches.
Persuade the walk
After Ohtani took care of business in the first, the Japanese offense started the game with a fiery rally, bringing in its first run courtesy of a walk after loading the bases.
Out on the plate!
Japan had a chance to score another run with one out, but China made a huge double play on a sacrifice fly attempt, when Pei Liang uncorked a laser to trap the runner.
Pei Liang makes a catch and throws the runner home to limit China’s damage against Japan
China limited the damage in the first inning after Pei Liang made a catch and threw to tag the runner at home.
From a traffic jam
Japan got the bats going again in the second inning, but China escaped danger with the bases loaded and Ohtani at the plate forcing a groundout.
We’ve got your back
Ohtani did his part to keep runners off the basepaths in the first innings…
… and when he needed a little help in his endeavours, his defense stepped up a notch. Plays like this diving catch by Lars Nootbaar helped keep China scoreless through three innings.
Shot Time!
With runners in scoring position, Ohtani often gets positive results, and the superstar sent the home crowd into a frenzy with this opposite-field double to score two more for his squad. The momentous hit put Japan up 3-0 at the end of the quarter.
Japan takes a 3-0 lead in China thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s two-RBI double
Japan takes a 3-0 lead in China thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s RBI double in the World Baseball Classic.
A backup is requested
Ohtani was pulled from the mound after four shutout innings, and his reliever, Shosei Togo, picked up right where he left off, striking out the side in his first WBC action. Ohtani finished with five strikeouts on the day.
Change and out
Have a great day, Pei Liang! He had a defensive gem in the first inning and got China on the board for their first run of the game in the sixth inning with this mammoth homer to left field.
Pei Liang hits a solo home run to get China on the board against Japan, 3-1
Pei Liang hit a solo home run to get China on the board against Japan in the World Baseball Classic, 3-1.
Oppo!
Japan grabbed an insurance run in the seventh when Shugo Maki caught a ball that hung over the right-field fence to put his team up 4-1.
Shugo Maki hits a solo home run to extend Japan’s lead against China, 4-1
Shugo Maki hit a solo home run to extend Japan’s lead against China in the World Baseball Classic, 4-1.
Take full control
Japan had its best inning in the eighth, adding to its lead after loading the bases with a series of timely RBIs to take an 8-1 lead.
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