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Japan Repeats In World Baseball Classic

By Nick Tasso- Sports Editor

In 2006, Japan won the inaugural World Baseball Classic (WBC) with starter Daisuke Matsuzaka winning the MVP.  When the WBC was held for the second time in 2009, the same exact thing occurred; Japan hoisted the trophy while Matsuzaka earned another shiny hardware.

Matsuzaka earned the MVP trophy by going 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA.  In the semi final game, Matsuzaka pitched 4.2 innings while allowing two runs to the United States en route to a Japan victory.

In the championship game against Korea, Japan won after a two run single by Ichiro Suzuki in the top of the tenth inning that ended a 3-3 tie.  Yu Darvish was awarded the win after finishing the game in the bottom of the tenth even though he incurred a blown save in the ninth.  Besides Suzuki’s two run single, Hiroyuki Nakajima, Akinori Iwamura, and Michihiro Ogasawara all hit in a run.

As for Korea, starter Jung Keun Bong went only four innings while allowing an unearned run, lowering his ERA to 0.96 for the WBC.  His bullpen faltered him as they allowed four runs including two in extra innings to score.  Bum Ho Lee, Dae Ho Lee, and Shin-Soo Choo each knocked in an RBI for Korea.

The next World Baseball Classic is scheduled to be held in March of 2013 and there have been recent talks about expanding the Classic by adding more countries to it.