Japanese fans don’t get to see Shohei Ohtani in person very often. They got an eyeful on Friday in a sellout at the Tokyo Dome.
Ohtani hit a grand slam in the second inning — in the first he doubled on the first pitch of the game but didn’t score — as Japan hammered Taiwan 13-0 in Pool C at the World Baseball Classic. It was Japan’s first game of four in pool play.
The game was called after seven innings under the mercy rule, which is being used in the WBC.
The game is called after five innings if a team leads by 15 runs or more, or after seven if the lead is 10 or more.
After threatening in the first, Japan exploded for 10 runs in the second inning.
Japan, batting first as the designated visiting team, put the first three runners on base — a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch. Kenya Wakatsuki fouled out to the catcher, bringing up Ohtani for the dramatic slam to right field off starter Hao-Chun Cheng.
Japan added six more runs in the inning, which lasted 28 minutes. Reliever Chih-Wei Hu finished the inning, but not before Japan batted around and Ohtani got his third hit of the game — a single — and his fifth RBI in the inning.
And only two innings had been played.
Japan scored three more in the third, this time off the third pitcher, Tzu-Chen Sha, to push the lead to 13-0.
Left in the shadows was Japan’s starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, last season’s World Series MVP with the Dodgers.
After long rests between innings, Yamamoto got into trouble in the third, walking two and loading the bases with the help of an error. He was replaced by Shoma Fujihira who struck out An-Ko Lin to end the threat.
Yamamoto struck out three, walked two and allowed no hits and was the winner. Cheng got the loss.
Ohtani led off the fourth and lined out on a leaping catch by first baseman Nien-Ting Wu as he tried for the cycle — a single, double, triple and a home run. He needed a triple to complete the cycle, and the leaping catch might have prevented it.
Japan is the defending WBC champion and the favorite from Pool C to reach the quarterfinals. Japan is also a favorite to reach the final in Miami on March 17, perhaps against the United States.
On Saturday in Pool C, Taiwan faces the Czech Republic and Japan plays South Korea.
Australia defeated the Czech Republic 5-1 on Friday behind a three-run homer from Chicago White Sox infielder Curtis Mead to remain unbeaten in Pool C.
Australia is lining up among the favorites from Tokyo to reach the quarterfinals along with home team Japan.
Mead's homer in the third put Australia up 3-1 after the Czechs failed to convert a double play early in the inning that eventually gave Mead a chance to bat. Australia added two runs in the ninth, including a solo home run by Alex Hall.
The Czechs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly by Vojtech Mensik.
Josh Hendrickson was the winning pitcher and Tomas Ondra got the loss.
Australia improved to 2-0 in Pool C and the Czechs fell to 0-2. Australia reached the quarterfinals three years ago in the last WBC but lost to Cuba 4-3.
The Australians have several players with MLB organizations including Mead. There’s also Travis Bazzana, the first pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft taken by the Cleveland Guardians.
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