Home BASEBALL Japan Dominates Chinese Taipei 13-0 in WBC Opener

Japan Dominates Chinese Taipei 13-0 in WBC Opener

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Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani leads Japan to 13-0 WBC win over Chinese Taipei

Shohei Ohtani leads Japan's 13-0 mercy rule win over Chinese Taipei in World Baseball Classic Pool C action.


Japan's offense continued to dominate, with Shohei Ohtani hitting a single into right field...


Shohei Ohtani led Japan to a commanding 13-0 win over Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic, hitting a grand slam and finishing with 5 RBIs. The Japanese superstar's blast in the second inning sparked a 10-run rally, setting the tone for the dominant victory. Ohtani's performance was a key factor in Japan's convincing win, showcasing their strength as the defending champions.


Japan's next game is against South Korea, while Chinese Taipei faces Czechia. 


Shohei Ohtani stole the show at Tokyo Dome, crushing a grand slam in the second inning and finishing with 3 hits in 4 at-bats, driving in 5 runs as Japan dominated Chinese Taipei 13-0. Ohtani's performance was a highlight of Japan's impressive start to the World Baseball Classic.


LA Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto also made a strong impression, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings against Chinese Taipei. Japan's offense was unstoppable, recording 13 hits and scoring 10 runs in the second inning alone.




Chinese Taipei knew they were in for a challenge against Japan, and it didn't take long for the 2023 champions to show their strength. After losing 3-0 to Australia in their opener on Thursday, Japan's roster full of MLB talent was too much to handle.


Shohei Ohtani got Japan's World Baseball Classic campaign off to a blazing start, crushing a double on the very first pitch of the game against Chinese Taipei's Hao-Chun Cheng. Ohtani was then moved to third by Kensuke Kondo, but Cheng's struggles were just beginning. After a scoreless first inning, Japan exploded for 10 runs in the second, led by Ohtani's grand slam.


Ohtani's grand slam was a key moment in Japan's 13-0 mercy rule victory, with the superstar finishing 3-4 with 5 RBIs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP, started for Japan and pitched 2.2 scoreless innings.


A walk, a single from Shugo Maki, and a hit by pitch set the stage for Ohtani, and he delivered. He crushed a curveball from Cheng out of the park, sending the Tokyo crowd wild. 


Japan's offense continued to dominate, with Shohei Ohtani hitting a single into right field, bringing his RBI count to five and falling just a triple short of the cycle. This impressive performance came before Chinese Taipei had even recorded six outs.


As the third inning began, Japan already had a commanding 10-run lead, making it likely they'd secure a mercy rule victory. In the WBC, a game can be 'mercy ruled' after five innings if a team is 15 runs ahead, but Japan's 10-run lead after two innings looked insurmountable.


Kazuma Okamoto, the new Toronto Blue Jays signing, dumped a single into left field to bring in Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs, adding to Japan's lead. Two more runs were then driven in by Sosuke Genda, making it 13-0 at the midpoint of the third.

Japan's offense was relentless, and their dominance was clear. 




Shohei Ohtani
Genda's single pushes Japan's lead


Yoshinobu Yamamoto had been impressive, throwing just 31 pitches in the first two innings, while Chinese Taipei's pitching staff had thrown 97. Despite being down 13-0, Chinese Taipei showed some fight, loading the bases against Japan's starter, who exited the game with no hits, two strikeouts, and three walks in his first meaningful outing of the season.


The game was clearly one-sided, but Chinese Taipei's effort was notable. 


Shoma Fujihira got Japan out of the jam with a strikeout, sending the batters back to work. Despite Japan's dominance, they couldn't mercy rule the game in the fifth or sixth inning, with the score 13-0.


Chinese Taipei got some cheer as Yu Chang, a hero for his side three years ago, recorded their first hit of the game with a loopy single into right field. 


Chinese Taipei couldn't capitalize on their chance and Japan closed out the game in the seventh inning via the mercy rule. The final score was 13-0, with Japan dominating from start to finish.


The game ended quickly, with Japan's strong performance leaving Chinese Taipei unable to recover. 


Chinese Taipei takes on the Czech Republic at 04:00 CET, their most winnable game in Pool C, while Japan faces a tough test against South Korea in Tokyo at 11:00 CET. Both teams are back in action on Saturday.




The World Baseball Classic is heating up, with Friday marking the first 'full' day of play, and action kicking off in North America this evening. 





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