Early Saturday morning action in the World Baseball Classic gave us a battle between two Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani and Hyeseong Kim each homered, and Japan beat Korea 8-6 at the Tokyo Dome.
Japan joins Australia at 2-0 in Pool C in Tokyo, with two games left to play, with Korea falling to 1-1.
Ohtani walked and scored in the first inning, then hit a solo home run to tie the game in the third inning. With a runner on third base and two outs in the seventh inning, Ohtani was intentionally walked, and later
scored in a three-run frame.
In two games so for in the WBC, Ohtani has reached base seven times in eight plate appearances, with two home runs, a double, and two walks, with four runs scored and six runs batted in.
Kim followed with a two-run shot in the fourth inning to tie the score at 5-5.
Down 8-6 with two outs in the eighth inning, Kim batted with the bases loaded but struck out looking in Korea’s last threat of the game.
Edwin Díaz closed out Puerto Rico’s 5-0 win over Colombia with a scoreless ninth inning on Friday, following a leadoff single with three straight strikeouts. Díaz threw 24 pitches in his first game action since last Saturday for the Dodgers.
Díaz also came the game using his entrance music at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Lucas Ramírez, the 20-year-old son of former Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramírez, hit a leadoff home run for Brazil off Logan Webb in the first inning on Friday.
Team USA beat Brazil 15-5 in its opening game Friday. Will Smith did not play in the game, and Clayton Kershaw did not pitch.
Saturday schedule
- 8 a.m. PT: Canada vs. Colombia (FS2)
- 9 a.m.: Netherlands vs. Nicaragua (Tubi)
- 10 a.m.: Italy vs. Brazil (Fox Sports app)
- 3 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Panama (FS1)
- 4 p.m.: Venezuela vs. Israel (FS2)
- 5 p.m.: United States vs. Great Britain (Fox)
- 7 p.m.: Korea vs. Chinese Taipei (FS2)
