Japan falls 5-3 to S. Korea for 2nd loss in baseball

Sunday 17th August, 06:26 AM JST

BEIJING —

Japan fell 5-3 to South Korea in a dramatic showdown between baseball archrivals in the Beijing Olympic preliminaries Saturday to suffer its second loss in four games in the round-robin stage. Going into the ninth inning in a 2-2 tie, Japan closer Hitoki Iwase gave up three runs on three hits and a walk, while his teammates managed to score only one run in the bottom frame despite having had would-be game-tying runners on second and third bases with no outs at one point.

In a game that started out as a pitchers’ duel at Wukesong Baseball Field, Japanese cleanup hitter Takahiro Arai opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the sixth, but South Korean designated hitter Lee Dae Ho immediately retaliated with a two-run clout off Tsuyoshi Wada in the next inning. ‘‘I didn’t switch (Wada) when he yielded a walk with no outs,’’ said Japanese team manager Senichi Hoshino, looking back on the seventh inning when his starter walked the first batter up and then gave up the homer to Lee who was next in the lineup. ‘‘It is completely my mistake today,’’ Hoshino said. ‘‘I’m sure the players are frustrated, but I myself am frustrated with my mistake.’’ Hoshino, who is seeking to bring home Japan’s first Olympic gold medal in baseball, described the 2-2 record as ‘‘the worst line’’ considering the ability of the Japanese squad but expressed hope of bouncing back in the remaining three games in the preliminary round.

Kyodo

Latest 15 of 46 Total Comments Show All

USNinJapan2 at 06:48 PM JST - 17th August

mindyou

China is the strongest Olympic country because China has the most medals. Thats how it works.

I don't know what planet you live on but on this one the USA has the most Olympic medals with 61 currently, not China who has 52.

Hope you return to this forum after Hoshino Japan has failed (as expected) to win the gold medal. I'll be very surprised if they even manage to win the silver...
pathat at 06:58 PM JST - 17th August

chardk1 wrote:

"Even if the U.S. and Japan produced the same number of great domestic players (highly debatable) MLB would still be vastly superior because of the David Ortizes, Vlad Guerreros, C.C. Sabathias and yes, Matsuzakas and Ichiros."

Are you saying that C.C. Sabathia belongs in this list of outstanding foreign players in the majors? C.C. Sabathia is American-born in California.

My prediction: Japan picks up a bronze in the final edition of Olympic baseball.
mindyou at 10:41 PM JST - 17th August

**Japan is the World Champions. **

I can come to think of a few reasons to why Japan is the world champions. The most obvious reason is that Japan won WBC. Other reasons I can come to think of is that Japanese players have more technical skills than Americans. They are better in base running, fielding, bunts. And they don't use steroids so they are not afraid of sending their players to Beijing unlike USA.

As the Champions of the World in baseball I fully expect and hope Japan to shred USA and take back the Gold Medal so that Japan once again can show the world how baseball is supposed to be played.

smithinjapan. I don't care how many countries play baseball or not. Out of the countries playing baseball it was Japan who won it. This makes Japan the World Champions.
mindyou at 10:48 PM JST - 17th August

Speaking of Dominican Republic and their stars. Cuba beat Dominican Republic. This makes Cuba better than Dominican Republic. Just because Americans dislike Castro Cuba still is better than Dominican Republic and ofcource Japan better than Cuba because Japan beat Cuba in the finals in WBC.

Japan plays at it's best when they have lots of pressure so expeting to see Japan picking it up a notch.

Go Hoshino Japan! The proper World Champions of the world.
USNinJapan2 at 10:56 PM JST - 17th August

mindyou

Hope you didn't bet any money on Japan winning any medals, let alone the gold...
chibaman at 07:29 AM JST - 18th August

They are better in base running, fielding, bunts.

Yeah would love to see your rhetoric backed up with some stats of your own. Better at fielding? Like when the guy at thrid can't throw it on the
chibaman at 07:39 AM JST - 18th August

Wait. There's more.

Like when the guy at third can't throw it on the full to the guy at first? But limps it with a couple of bounces?

Or the confusion in the outfield as three guys discuss which is the most senior to take the catch and then watch it drop? They don't have far to run either as the fence is much closer than in the real version, because the Japanese are weaker.

As for bunting, you mean when the guy reveals his intention to bunt well before the picther winds up? They can't even bunt properly. There is no element of surprise, and everybody knows what's coming.

I'm not Amercian but I've seen enough of both to concur with a very high percentage of the public (foreign and Japanese) that MLB is of a much higher standard and that Japanese baseball is of a poorer standard.

And as for your obsession with the World Baseball Classic, other posters have rightly pointed out that Japan has been superseded in subsequent competition by the country you don't like, and Japan cannot claim they are the best (no one but a very small minority you find yourself in actually believe this anyway, enjoy your delusion).
chibaman at 10:07 AM JST - 18th August

As the Champions of the World in baseball

As Champions of the World in baseball?! Where are my action figures by the way?

I fully expect and hope Japan to shred USA and take back the Gold Medal

Of course you expect it. That's what happens when you listen too much to your insanely unrealistic sports media. Shred the USA and take back the gold? Well Japan has never won the gold medal, so how are they gonna take it back? Hmm? Cuba or Korea might show you the door as well.

...show the world how baseball is supposed to be played.

Well why don't the media channels broadcast it to the rest of the world? The rest of the world is not interested in a low standard farce, that's why.
ProudKoreanGuy at 01:21 PM JST - 18th August

romulus3 at 06:03 PM JST - 17th August

man, Korea lets hate power them home again. Great stuff.

Sometimes hatred can be a great motivator, can't it? Besides, Japan doesn't exactly love Korea, either - although there's no love lost between the two.
chardk1 at 04:55 PM JST - 18th August

Are you saying that C.C. Sabathia belongs in this list of outstanding foreign players in the majors? C.C. Sabathia is American-born in California.

Oops, my mistake. But you get the gist of it.
smithinjapan at 11:27 PM JST - 18th August

Mindyou: "smithinjapan. I don't care how many countries play baseball or not. Out of the countries playing baseball it was Japan who won it. This makes Japan the World Champions."

And yet in another comment you tried to compare baseball's crappy and meaningless World Classic with soccer's World Cup, and likewise made some remark about how some sports are not recognized 'world wide' as championship games (or certain countries' athletes as the champions) because they aren't played here and there... but yet when it's baseball, which is one of the LEAST played sports in the world (and as such, except for every single Japanese player wishing to go play for the Major League in the US), and as such the Japanese cannot, by your own words, possibly be world champions because they have so few people to compare with.

There.... now your hypocrisy is complete.
kavikahi at 12:51 PM JST - 19th August

Nature of the game, one team wins and one loses usually.
boobug at 10:13 PM JST - 19th August

"This makes Japan the World Champions."

Wrong ! The only thing Japan won was the WBC. After that tournement they got their tails kicked by Cuba at the world championships won by the USA. So for all sakes and purposes, team USA is the current world champion. However, having said that, I don't expect them to win the Olympics. The USA has sent a very young energetic group of university and minor league players. Unlike Japan, Korea, etc who have sent seasoned pro's. Given those circumstances, how could you not be rooting for the Americans ? Go Kids ! Whip up on them Asian pros !
larguero at 04:20 PM JST - 20th August

Is Baseball the least exciting sport in the olympics? After Shooting, maybe. Why do they have to play so many games before playing semifinals and final? In tennis, you lose once, you are out. In Judo, as in football, you can lose once. But in Baseball you can lose twice and still can get the gold medal? In an era of globalization and cross border big business, Baseball is far behind other sports that are gaining in popularity. To me, that I am not from the US nor Japan, it doesn't matter the debate on who is number one. It matters that nobody (except for a handful of people) seems to care. To 90% of the world population is as meaningless as discussing who is the best in shooting.
ProudKoreanGuy at 04:08 AM JST - 24th August

(IHT/Asahi: August 23,2008)

The South Korean manager said that in a game between two strong teams the difference came down to which side had the better luck and more confidence.

There were apparently reports in the South Korean media that Japan deliberately lost the final round robin game to the United States so it would be able to face South Korea rather than Cuba in the semifinals, indicating that Japan thought South Korea weaker than Japan.

A South Korean reporter asked Hoshino if Japan was the stronger team even with Friday's result.

Noticeably irritated, Hoshino said, "I don't understand the meaning of your question. We lost today and South Korea has been perfect in the round robin. South Korea is a very strong team. The South Korean media should stop thinking otherwise."