Team Japan › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

REUTERS/Mike Blake

Tuesday 24th March, 03:28 PM JST

Members of Japan’s team hold up their manager Tatsunori Hara after they defeated South Korea in the World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles on Monday night.

› Login to comment

Latest 15 of 35 Total Comments Show All

northlondon at 12:19 AM JST - 25th March

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Blue Tiger, you seem pretty incensed about something ? Of course, these are just your opinions and none of us have heard the Japanese players say anything along the lines of 'mention nobody in the same breath' or 'regard others as a fluke'. These are just your words flamed by your apparent anger. But let's be honest, Japan have just won the first two World Baseball Classic tournaments. Beating Cuba, Team USA and Olympic champions Korea along the way. Can't argue with that Blue Tiger and your biased opinions don't measure up to sporting success such as that.
eresay at 12:31 AM JST - 25th March

Ahh still the Japan haters find a reason to post! Can't remember any WS champions going across the field to congratulate the other team. Teams are usually so euphoric about winning and congratulating their team mates, that they celebrate with each other. It's not a snub against other teams. They are just caught up in the moment.

I have to agree with northlondon here. Japan won in spite of Hara not because of him. Using a guy to close out a game who usually pitches every 5 days after pitching the day before while having a proven closer in Fujikawa in the pen ready to go was inexplicable.

In the bottom of the 9th, Korea had a runner in scoring position and was just one hit away from a walk off win. I wonder what the headlines would have read if they got that hit.

The Japanese players deserve all the credit here. Hara was clueless.

Blue Tiger, you hate Japan. We get it. The best team won, move on and cheer up.
northlondon at 12:39 AM JST - 25th March

Just to back up what eresay has said, let's take a similar scenario. Do the Yankees and the Red Sox run over to console each other and shake hands after a series ? I might be wrong, but I doubt it very much. I keep on saying this but, if the Koreans hadn't played their sandcastle flag games again, then they might have got a little bit more respect in return.
mecchasuki at 12:54 AM JST - 25th March

They should have dropped Hara instead of catching him. Hara could so easily have lost that game today with his eccentric and biased decisions.

Nah northlondon. They should have dropped him for the fact that he manages the blasted Kyojin. But Hara's inept managing aside, that was a heck of a game.
Fredster at 01:10 AM JST - 25th March

northlondon wrote....

Can somebody please please explain to me why he used Darvish in that stress situation ??

Darvish, while young, is not "inexperienced", is currently considered one of the top 3 pitchers in Japan and has plenty of "big game" experience including Japanese Championship Games...

I too drew a gasp when Hara threw him into the 9th and went a little "silent" when he left him in for the 10th...

What I didn't know at the time - certainly Hara did - was Darvish's stats during the series... "http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/stats/index.jsp?grid=wbcleaderpitching" shows that many of Darish's stats were better than Matsuzaka's...

Darvish had - "2.08" ERA - "20" Strike outs / 13 innings - allowed "7" hits - {4} runs - walked - "0" HRs....... items in < > indicate worse record than Daisuke - "better" - {tied}....

Check em out - perhaps they are part of the reasoning behind Hara's moves...

Regardless... the job got done and I am proud as peach that Japan won today... After that "flag planting" incident I think Korea made their own Karma....

Cheers,
cracaphat at 01:15 AM JST - 25th March

I feel sorry for Johjima.He is a major leaguer, but was dissed twice by having Aoki walked, just to pitch to him and he got out both times meekly. He is done,credibility wise,just from that.
ispano6 at 02:21 AM JST - 25th March

I too found it strange that both teams didn't salute each other at the end of the game. Obviously Japan was rejoicing, as Korea would have been had they won. Team Korea did not wait around for long either, and quickly went into the dugout and into the locker rooms. The only person left in the dugout was the Korean manager, whom I felt sorry for. For some stupid reason, the awarding of the medals was not televised at all on ESPN.
MKinLA at 05:20 AM JST - 25th March

Last night's game was great. It was truly a classic. Both Japanese and Korean teams showed what the baseball really is and how the baseball should be played. Both Korean and Japanese people showed the world their love for the baseball on the field and stand.

The only thing was the officiating, which could've tainted last night's fantastic game. The ump's call wasn't very consistent and a couple out calls by the second base umpire were a bit questionable. It shouldn't happen, but these things happen during games at any level whether it is favorable for your team or for your opponent. Anyway, even a questionable officiating couldn't prevent last night's game to be called THE CLASSIC.

Congratulate to Japanese team and its fans for the championship. I'm a Korean so that the result was a very disappointing, but it really was the one of best games in baseball history, if it is not the best, and very fun and exciting to watch. Again, congrats Japanese team. They surely deserve the championship. Also, salute to Korean team to play great game. Hat off to both Korean and Japanese teams.

I wish both teams and their fans to develop a friendly and productive rivalry and become leaders for the success of Asian baseball.
marsnairb at 05:30 AM JST - 25th March

I think what maybe lost here is the fact that Asian teams are making it to the top of baseball, while the USA and Latin teams are falling out. and maybe due to the fact that like everything else the USA forgot how to play the game. instead of being a me first homerun king and a team player second to last. they shuld play the game as a team, with using the basics as there guide.
oyaban at 06:31 AM JST - 25th March

will japan ever win a gold medal in olympics? NO!! FYI Korea always dominate japan in international competition. It's like 8wins to 4 loses. Korea had just 1 mlb player and japan have like 6?? and they still were about to beat japan for the 3RD time in the same tournament! and japan had 50 year head start on baseball development (their national sport) on Korea and still gets owned by Korea consistantly. japan won WBC, so what.Do americans or the rest of the world even care about WBC? WBC is just a pro exhibition game with different nations. Will Japan ever be gold olympians and win baseball world cup??NOPE!
JoeBigs at 07:25 AM JST - 25th March

Blue_Tiger at 11:09 PM JST - 24th March JoeBigs - Did "Samurai" Japan bother to cross the field and thank the Korean team for a good game, shaking their hands in the process? I guess not. I guess that "Samurai" Japan chose to celebrate like hot shot jerks rather than go over to the opposing team, show a shred of class, and thank them for a good game. That's called sportsmanship, something Team Japan has not a whit of....

Shhhhh do not tell anyone but last time I checked planting your nations flag in Korea insulted Japan by planting their nations flag after beating Japan. By the way not just once, this was the second time.

Two insults does not equal a hand shack. Oh and btw the way, Japan beat them each time after they did that.

Hell if Japan tried to be nice and shack the Koreans hand I bet the Korean team would not of extended their hands. Why get insulted again by the Koreans, why would Japan waste their time trying to be kind?
flammenwerfer at 09:37 AM JST - 25th March

just glad its all over.......zzzzzz
MKinLA at 11:17 AM JST - 25th March

I hope both Korean fans and Japanese fans get over with the Championship game.

It is a done-deal and just accept the result as is. Both teams played so hard and very well with passions. Nobody can deny that. Both Korean team and Japanese team were superb.

Japanese team won the title because they played a little bit better and maybe a little bit luckier. Same thing with Japanese team's 1-0 defeat to Korean team. That was also very good game. That night Korean team played a little bit better and maybe a little bit luckier so that they won the game.

Yes, there were a few questionable calls by umpires. But, that's a part of game. You cannot put down the winner with that, and you can use that as an excuse of your defeat.

I am a Korean and yesterday's defeat was a heart breaking to me and all other Korean baseball fans. But, the fact is Japanese team won the game and got the Championship Trophy. Korean team had chances to take that game, but they couldn't make it happen.

Now the game is a part of a baseball history. All Korean fans just accept the result as is and congrats Japanese team for the Championship. And, Japanese fans please put your hands together to the loser for the great game.
Hotbox08 at 08:54 PM JST - 25th March

And, yes, I actually have seen it where the winning team of a championship actually did bother to go across and congratulate the losers on a fine game. If they didn't do it in person, they at least threw them a bone in the press copnference.

Bluetiger, enough with the "Japan didn't shake hands with Korea" comments. Whether all of them, or some of them shook hands with them or not, we will never definitively know, since the footage shown on TV did not (and probably was not capable of) showing all angles of Dodger Stadium and at all times. And even if all Japanese players didn't shake hands with all Korean players, it happens.

Yes, I've seen players go over and shake another player's hand in the NBA and NFL, but not all players do it. Many others were either too busy clutching the winning ball, doing a stupid dance, or pouting and walking straight to the locker room. In fact, I've watched the 2008 World Series on TV and saw the Phillies celebrating on the pitcher's mound for the longest time without any of them making any move to shake a Tampa Bay player's hand. But hey, they earned their right to celebrate. Let boys be boys. On the flip side, the Tampa Bay Rays were shown sitting glumly in their dugout; not one of them moving. So what? It happens. Such is life.

Yes, ideally it would be better to have everyone line up after and shake each other's hands with a tip of their caps. Sadly, these things only happen with Little League teams, high school, and sometimes college. In Japan, I've only seen it happen with Little League and high school teams (as in the "Senbatsu" baseball tournament). Maybe the money pro players make, somehow goes to their heads and they forget proper protocol.
hepy1 at 03:55 PM JST - 4th April

i told u, japan team baseball is who get the victory.