OHTANI DOUBLES, WINS FOR JAPAN
Shohei Ohtani hit a tworun double off the left-field wall, allowed one hit over four innings and got the win, leading Japan over China 8-1 on Thursday in its opener at the World Baseball Classic.
Japan 8, China 1
The Angels’ two-way star struck out five and walked none in the Group B game at the Tokyo Dome. His fourthinning double off Weiyi Wang gave Japan a 3-0 lead.
Ohtani retired his first 10 batters before Weiyi Wang’s single in the fourth. Ohtani threw 32 of 49 pitches for strikes.
Before a crowd of 41,616 in the Tokyo Dome, Japan went ahead in the first when the Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar singled leading off and loser Xiang Wang walked three straight batters, including two-time Central League MVP Munetaka Murakami with the bases loaded.
Nootbaar made a sprawling catch in center on Jinjun Luo in the second.
Australia 8, South Korea 7: In Tokyo, Robbie Perkins gave Australia an 8-4 lead with an eighth-inning homer off Hyeon-Jong Yang, who threw only seven pitches and got no one out.
Netherlands 3, Panama 1: In Taichung, Taiwan, the Netherlands won its second game in two days. The Padres’ Xander Bogaerts homered in the third off loser Jaime Barría, and former Padre Jurickson Profar went deep in the fifth against Alberto Guerrero. Bogaerts also doubled in the eighth and scored on a Alberto Baldonado’s wild pitch.
Italy 6, Cuba 3 (10): In Taichung, Taiwan, Cuba dropped to 0-2 as Italy’s Brett Sullivan hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Betts returns to second
Mookie Betts appeared at home at second base in
Thursday’s 6-0 win for Team USA over the Angels because second base was once home.
“It’s in my roots,” Betts said. “It’s what I grew up doing and it’s hard to kind of get rid of that.”
The Boston Red Sox selected Betts in the fifth round of the 2011 draft out of high school as a second baseman. Then, in 2014, the Red Sox, with Dustin Pedroia entrenched at second base, converted Betts to the outfield in the minors.
Coach Albert?
Albert Pujols is open to transitioning into coaching. Just not yet.
The retired slugger popped into the Cardinals spring training camp to visit with former teammates and while he believes coaching or some other role within Major League Baseball will happen, he’s not eager to give a timetable.
“Listen, 23 years and 24 years, following a schedule from February all the way to October is tough,” said Pujols, who retired in October after 22 years split mostly between the Cardinals and the Angels. “Now I have the freedom to have my own schedule. That’s something that I’m grateful about.”
Notable
Hunter Greene will be the opening-day starter for the Cincinnati Reds. The 23-yearold is getting the nod as he begins his second season in the majors. “It means the world. It’s a huge honor considering the history in Cincinnati,” said Greene who went 5-13 in 24 starts during his rookie season.
Carlos Rodon’s debut for the Yankees is going to have to wait. The veteran left-handed pitcher will begin the season on the injured list due to a left forearm strain. Rodon will be shut down for 7-10 days, squashing any chance he’ll will be ready by opening day, New York General Manager
said.