JAPAN WINS AGAIN WITH OHTANI HELP
Shohei Ohtani doubled and singled for his second straight two-hit game, and Japan overcame a three-run deficit to beat South Korea 13-4 Friday in Tokyo for its second straight win at the World Baseball Classic.
Ohtani was intentionally walked as Japan scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-3 lead, doubled and scored in a two-run fifth and hit an RBI single in a five-run sixth. The two-way star is 4for-7 with two doubles, three RBIs and four walks in Japan’s two games while allowing one hit over four scoreless innings on the mound.
South Korea fell to 0-2 after taking a three-run lead in the third off Yu Darvish in Tokyo.
Masataka Yoshida had three of Japan’s 13 hits and five RBIs.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida threw out the ceremonial first pitch, a sign of improving relations between the Asian neighbors. Kishida was a high school player and is a fan of the Central League’s Hiroshima Toyo Carp. The Kishida bounced his ceremonial pitch, which was scooped up by Japan manager Hideki Kuriyana.
Euiji Yang hit a two-run homer and Jung Hoo Lee had an RBI single as South Korea jumped ahead.
Japan rallied in the bottom half on Lars Nootbaar’s run-scoring single and Kensuke Kondoh’s RBI double, which chased loser Kwang Hyun Kim. Ohtani was intentionally walked by Tae-in Won and, one out later, Yoshida’s two-run single put Japan ahead for good at 4-3.
Kensuke Kondoh homered off Won leading off the fifth and Yoshida’s sacrifice fly made it 6-3. Darvish got the win, allowing three runs — two earned — and three hits in three innings.
Cuba 13, Panama 4: Yadir Drake had four hits, and Moncada and Roel Santos three each as Cuba (1-2) rebounded from a 6-3, 10-inning loss to Italy in Taichun, Taiwan.
Panama (1-2) overcame a 2-0 deficit with a four-run second, when Ruben Tejada hit a two-run homer and Allen Cordoba had a tworun single.
Taiwan 11, Italy 7: KuoChen Fan broke a 7-7 tie with a run-scoring infield single in the seventh off Joey Marciano and Kungkuan Giljegiljaw hit a three-run homer in the eighth as host Taiwan overcame a three-run deficit and improved to 1-1.
Czech Republic 8, China 5: Martin Zervenka’s oneout walk off loser Hai-Cheng Gong in the ninth started the go-ahead rally as the Czechs overcame a 5-4 deficit to win their WBC debut in Tokyo.