Ohtani, Sasaki rock as Japan rolls
Shohei, Trout won’t square off in WBC
TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani had another RBI double, 21-yearold right-hander Roki Sasaki reached 100 mph 21 times in 66 pitches and Japan beat the Czech Republic 10-2 on Saturday night to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the World Baseball Classic.
Shugo Maki hit his second home run of the tournament and new Boston Red Sox oufielder Masataka Yoshida had three RBIs, including a go-ahead, tworun double in the third inning off loser Ondrej Satoria as the Samurai Warriors overcame a 1-0 deficit.
Ohtani went 1 for 3 with a walk before a crowd of 41,637 in the Tokyo Dome, leaving for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He is 5 for 10 with three doubles, four RBIs and five walks for Japan (3-0), which has one more group game and will host a quarterfinal on Wednesday or Thursday. He also has pitched four scoreless innings.
Sasaki struck out eight in 3⅔ innings and got the win. He allowed an unearned run, two hits and two walks.
Sasaki threw the 16th perfect game in Japanese major league history in April, then pitched eight perfect innings in his next start before being pulled after 102 pitches. He went 9-2 with a 2.02 ERA for the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines last year, striking out 173 in 129⅓ innings.
In the opener, Rixon Wingrove had four RBIs as Australia (2-0) won in a 12-2 rout of China (0-3) in a game shortened to seven innings by the 10-run mercy rule.
In Group B at Taichung, Boston’s Yu Chang hit a tiebreaking, second-inning grand slam that lifted host Taiwan (2-1) to a 9-5 win over the Netherlands (2-1), and Panama (2-2) won 2-0 over Italy (1-2).
In the first game of Group C in Phoenix, Colombia beat Mexico 5-4 in 10 innings when Jorge Alfaro scored on an error by shortstop Luis Urias.
Also, Puerto Rico beat Nicaragua 9-1 in Miami in its 2023 WBC debut. Francisco Lindor scored twice and hit an RBI single.
Spring training
ANGELS: Now that Japan has advanced to the quarterfinals, Ohtani’s path through the tournament and to opening day with the Angels has become clear, and it won’t involve a matchup against Mike Trout.
Angels manager Phil Nevin said Saturday morning that the plan is for Ohtani to pitch in the quarterfinals of the WBC in Japan on March 16, and to pitch for the Angels on March 24 in a Cactus League game against the Padres. That sets up Ohtani to be on his normal five days’ rest before opening day on March 30 in Oakland.
It means that — barring a surprise relief appearance by Ohtani — he won’t get a chance to pitch against Team USA or Trout. He still is expected to hit in every game.
The semifinals in Miami are March 19-20, and the finals are March 21.
Japan and the USA could only meet in the March 20 semifinal — not the other semifinal or the final — because both teams are locked into their quarterfinal games by virtue of the tournament format.
Although many will be disappointed that Ohtani and Trout won’t face each other, this was certainly the plan all along.
RANGERS: Jacob deGrom threw his bullpen session on schedule Saturday and his arm didn’t fall off, so the Texas ace should make his first start of the spring Monday.
One catch: He might work in a B game or even on a back field instead of on center stage against Arizona.
The Rangers seem less concerned with the venue than the work he gets in. Manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that deGrom should pitch three outings before the season starts.
DeGrom has thrown five times this spring, most before taking a few days off after feeling tightness in his side. He looked dominant in a 35-pitch session Wednesday, when his fastball topped out at 100 mph.
PADRES: Fernando Tatis Jr., had been 0 for 16 this spring before hitting a smash shot off the glove of Chicago White Sox shortstop Erik Gonzalez for a single in the first inning Saturday at Peoria, Arizona. The hit came against former teammate Mike Clevinger. Tatis later added a two-run double.
They were the first hits in 526 days for Tatis, who missed all of last season. He was on the cusp of returning from surgery on his left wrist when he was suspended for 80 games by major league baseball after testing positive for a performanceenhancing drug.
“He hasn’t played in a while. He’s going to hit,” manager Bob Melvin said earlier in the week when asked about Tatis’ slump.
CARDINALS: Rookie outfielder Jordan Walker, one of the sensations of spring training, left the game against the Houston Astros with a strained right shoulder suffered on a slide at second base in the first inning.
But manager Oliver Marmol said he was not “overly concerned. Day to day.”
PHILLIES: Right-hander Noah Song is being shut down for a few days because of back tightness. He had an MRI on Friday. The Phillies selected song in the Rule 5 Draft and he must spend at least 90 days on the active roster to stay with the organization beyond this season.
NATIONALS: Catcher Keibert Ruiz agreed to an eight-year contract with Washington, reportedly for $50 million. The contract begins this year and runs through the 2030 season.
D-BACKS: Outfielder Corbin Carroll and Arizona have agreed to an $111 million, eightyear contract that also has a club option for the 2031 season, The Associated Press and MLB. com reported. The 22-year-old Carroll is one of baseball’s top prospects and among the betting favorites — according to FanDuel Sportsbook — to win Rookie of the Year this season.
ROCKIES: Colorado optioned right-handed pitchers Riley Pint and Blair Calvo to TripleA Albuquerque.