Japan yesterday routed South Korea 7-0 to seal the Asia Professional Baseball Championship title at the Tokyo Dome.
The Tokyo Yomiuri Giants’ star lefty pitcher Kazuto Taguchi shined against the dangerous South Korean hitters.
Taguchi sailed through seven innings allowing only three hits and striking out six.
Photo: AFP
In the final two innings, Japan manager Atsunori Inaba called on two relievers, Tsuyoshi Ishizaki of the Hanshin Tigers and Yasuaki Yamasaki of the Yokomaha DeNA BayStars, who each pitched one inning to close out the game.
On offense, Hiroshima Toyo Carp slugger Ryoma Nishikawa was on fire, scoring off one of his three hits and racking up three RBIs, as well as a solo homer in the seventh.
Japan opened the scoring in the fourth with a run against South Korean starter Park Se-woong. Park was then replaced by lefty Shim Jae-min to limit the damage.
Photo: AFP
In the next frame, Japan’s batters rallied with four hits and a walk to pile on three runs against the next two Korean pitchers, Kim Myeong-shin and Kim Yoon-dong.
The deflated South Koreans tried to mount their comeback, but were denied by Taguchi’s outstanding pitching.
The hosts piled on three runs over the next two innings, moving the game out of reach for South Korea on their way to a 7-0 victory.
After the game’s finish, the Japanese players celebrated by tossing Inaba into the air before receiving the first trophy of the inaugural championship.
The hosts opened the series with a thrilling extra-inning 8-7 win over South Korea, after which Taiwan was narrowly beaten 1-0 to the Koreans.
On Friday, Japan’s young lefty pitcher Shota Imanaga threw his way to a 8-2 victory over Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese sports officials have adopted a new mascot for international competitions to better reflect the spirit and symbolism of Taiwan.
The national squad for the first time sported the image of a Formosan mountain dog on their shoulders.
“I like it, because the Formosan mountain dog has courage and intelligence. It is hardworking and tenacious, and has endurance,” manager Hung Yi-chung said at the emblem’s unveiling last month.
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