The calendar marked the last days of October and the final series of the Japanese League was played between the Orix Buffaloes and the Yakult Swallows. At the same time, a Japanese preselection was training for the World Baseball Classic, to which many of the stars of the postseason joined without even taking a breath.
This demonstrates the commitment that Japan puts into international events, specifically the Classic, in which they are the only ones to get on the podium in each of its four editions. “We know that we have a very special team and more than anything we are a family,” manager Hideki Kuriyama said after the victory against Australia (8-1).
Under that maximum, the ninth team was well above the level of its group, and in a certain way it was possible to measure the potential of its lineup in the duel against South Korea, their eternal rivals. In that game, the Koreans opened with former major league lefty Kwang-hyun Kim, the KBO MVP, who managed to turn the Japanese order around without much hiccup.
Destination Miami: Cuba is among the four greats of the Classic
Korea knew they were using their best card and needed to take advantage of the play. Kim, a specialist against left-handed hitters (he was connected for .164 in the best baseball in the world), was measured against a lineup full of men with the so-called wrong hand and in at least three rounds it worked. He looked like he had the situation under control with the score 3-0 in his favor, but he issued two walks before taking on the Japanese first wood and got messy.
Lars Nootbar, the first foreigner to play in a Classic for Japan and a catalyst for their offense, lined up a single 109 mph up center, and Kesuke Kondoh followed up with a double that knocked Kim out of the game. The best was yet to come for the Japanese, who finished ahead 4-3 that inning and then took a 13-4 lead against the faded bullpen Korean.
That’s how good Team Samurai is. It doesn’t matter that he starts losing, he has the quality and the mental strength to overcome any situation. In addition, it has one of the best staff of the pitchers of the tournament Do you know the great difference between the pitching of Japan and that of the United States, Venezuela, Mexico or the Dominican Republic? The streamers have no restrictions and that, of course, is a plus.
Italy will be the rival of the Japanese team in the quarterfinals. Mike Piazza’s squad had to wait until their last qualifying game to get their ticket to the next round. It was not easy, because his second line of pitching, as we had predicted, tended to lack control and lack of success. Therefore, if they have come this far, it is because his manager’s strategy was perfect.
The transalpines lost 11-7 against Chinese Taipei in their third clash of the calendar, in which that second line of shooters was watery. But Piazza had a plan, he was betting everything on a do or die match against the Netherlands in which he had to win by more than five runs if they wanted to go through.
Finally, they defeated the tulips 7-1 to advance. Bingo, Mike’s move came out perfect! He had the front line pitching at his disposal in the deciding contest, with Matt Harvey leading the way. The experienced added another good outing, while Nicky López and Sal Frelick carried the offensive weight.
What can we expect from the game between Japan and Italy?
The favorite is Japan, without a doubt, since they will have Shohei Ohtani as a starter with a lighter pitching restriction (80 pitches). Also, they have a bullpen top. Italy is not an easy opponent for a game, in fact, if they line up their best pitching with their most productive hitters, they can deliver an upset.
Japan Keys: He has very patient hitters, something that works in his favor against a pitching that is not one of the most controlled. The Italian staff is also not known for having very fast pitchers, who I think do the most damage in the Japanese League. So the combination of one quality turn after another can lead to great things, and they should also take advantage of the flaws in the drop locations.
Keys of Italy: I’d like to see Andre Pallante do a deeper job as a starter or long reliever, but I think his mix (sinker, fastballs and curveball) can give two or three zeros. Italy have to use their front row and the highest quality hitters on the team to see how they can hit Shohei Ohtani and co.
General keys: You have to follow two hitters who haven’t woken up from each set. The first is Munetaka Murakami, a two-time Central League MVP and currently the top hitter in the NPB. On the other side of the scale we have Vinnie Pasquantinno, the best hitter the Piazza team has. Without a doubt, if one of the two manages to wake up, he can make a difference.
Follow the coverage here OnCuba:
