Alden GonzalesESPN staff writer4 minutes to read
Japan walks out to set up a date with Team USA in the WBC Final
Munetaka Murakami made her way back and forth twice to the middle of the court as Japan defeated Mexico 6-5.
MIAMI – 23-year-old Japanese triple title winner Munetaka Murakami, already among the best hitters in the world, is thinking about penning.
It was the ninth inning, two runners occupied first and second base with no one out, and Japan trailed Mexico with a run in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic, which is that moment you yearn for greatness. But Murakami did not feel himself. He had started this tournament with four hits in 21 at-bats, and struck out 11 times, including during his debut at Three Plates on Monday Night. And so he considered moving the winning run into the scoring position, and letting someone else have his moment.
“Banning kind of came to mind,” Murakami said through a translator, “but (Japanese manager Hideki) Kuriyama told me I should just bat.”
It was the best advice he could get.
Murakami caught a 94-mph, down-center fastball from Mexico’s close quarterback Giovanni Gallegos and sent the wide 400 feet into straight center field, a hot line drive that bounced off the top of the fence and allowed both runners to go home. A much-anticipated Murakami moment has brought to light another intense back-and-forth contest in this world baseball classic, awarding Japan a prize. A 6-5 back-and-forth victory sent him to a championship showdown against Team USA.
Lars Nootbar, who was jumping in front of home plate before the winning run could score, called it an “out-of-body experience”.
“The best,” Masataka Yoshida said through an interpreter. “epic.”
Monday’s semi-final was the latest in a series of intense matches in front of raucous sold-out crowds in multiple venues over the past two weeks, right up there with the recent intense ups and downs of Mexico’s upset over Puerto Rico on Friday and the big Team USA. – A victory that fueled Islam over Venezuela on Saturday. This year’s World Baseball Classic turned out to be such a thrilling tournament that its participants think of the bigger picture—even in defeat, as evidenced by the way Mexico coach Benji Gil summed it up.
“Japan is ahead,” Gil said in Spanish, “but World Baseball won tonight.”
Mexico, a talented team who were nonetheless clear underdogs against Japan, put themselves in an early advantage. Patrick Sandoval dominated through the first four innings, allowing only three basemen, and Luis Urías put his team ahead after a three-run home run off the legendary Rocky Sasaki, who threw nearly all of his fastballs in triple figures but didn’t. He located his patented splitter low enough against Urias in the fourth.
As Randy Aruzzarena started doing his own thing—stealing home runs, getting in front of the crowd, then signing autographs between a script change moments later—he began to feel like Mexico was destined to advance to its first championship in this world. Competition.
But Yoshida, signed to a $90 million contract in this offseason, tied the game with a seventh-inning three-run homer off the massive concrete beam behind LoanDepot Park’s right foul pole. And after Mexico took the lead back, with RBI singles from Alex Verdugo and Isaac Paredes, Japan stormed back, running in the eighth and producing the ninth home run in World Baseball Classic history in the next inning.
It started with Shohei Ohtani, who hit a leadoff double at 110 mph into the right-center field gap, and lunged upon reaching second base in an attempt to light up his teammates.
“It’s been a while since I’ve played a win-or-lose game, in a play-off atmosphere,” Ohtani said, speaking through an interpreter, of a rare display of emotion.
Yoshida followed him with a walk, followed by Murakami, who made what he called a “slight modification” of his mechanics during the match, amounting to first strike in the semi-finals or later in this tournament. All of Japan’s players had evacuated their dugouts in celebration before the second half could score.
“Pure joy,” said Notbar. “I didn’t want to take a penalty for a lot of the guys on the field.”
The United States, the defending champions since 2017, has yet to announce a starting pitcher in the championship game, but Merrill Kelly, the talented right-hander for the Arizona Diamondbacks, is standing in line. Japan, the only remaining undefeated team, will go with the power-hitting Shota Imanaga with a chance to claim their third title – but Ohtani said he’s willing to go into the match in relief.
Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout With everything on the line it remains a possibility.
Otani said, “Obviously it’s quite an achievement to get into the championship series, but there’s a big difference between being first and second, so I’ll do everything I can to get first.”
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