Ohtani’s Heroics Not Enough as Samurai Japan Falls to Venezuela
MIAMI — It’s evident that Shohei Ohtani, remarkable as he is, is just one player.
Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic quarterfinals ended with Samurai Japan suffering an 8-5 defeat against Venezuela, serving as a stark reminder of that fact.
Ohtani managed to deliver what could be considered yet another magical moment with a leadoff homer against Ronald Acuña in the first inning, but it wasn’t enough to tip the scales in Japan’s favor.
Despite that impressive start, Ohtani couldn’t overcome the challenges posed by his team’s shaky bullpen or Venezuela’s formidable offense.
In his final at-bat, he recorded a flyout, though it wasn’t particularly significant since there were no runners on base.
With this result, Samurai Japan’s ambition to secure a third consecutive WBC title has come to a disappointing end. Now, it’s Venezuela advancing to face Italy in the semifinals, not Japan.
The match kicked off with Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitching to Acuña, who sent a 96.5 mph fastball flying over the right field wall. The ex-National League MVP celebrated exuberantly as he rounded the bases, and the fans followed suit.
Reacting promptly, Ohtani connected with a breaking ball and did his own celebratory bat flip after hitting his leadoff homer. He raised his palm as if signaling his team to keep calm.
Unfortunately for Samurai Japan, the inning took a turn for the worse when Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki attempted a steal to second base but ended up injuring his right knee while sliding.
Japan’s No. 2 hitter had to exit the game.
Things deteriorated further as Yamamoto struggled on the mound, allowing back-to-back doubles to Ezequiel Tovar and Gleyber Torres, giving Venezuela an additional run.
The momentum shifted in the third inning. With one out and a man on second, Yamamoto intentionally walked Ohtani. That put Teruaki Sato at bat, who had a rough season with 163 strikeouts in the Japanese League last year and had struck out in his earlier at-bat. This time, however, Sato managed to hit an RBI double down the right field line, tying the game at 2-2.
Next up was Shota Morishita, Sato’s former teammate with the Tigers. He faced off against Venezuelan starter Ranger Suarez and hit a changeup deep into left field, clearing the bases.
Morishita’s homer put Japan ahead 5-2, and the two-time defending champions appeared to be gaining control.
But things took a turn when Yamamoto was pulled from the game, and the subsequent pitchers couldn’t replicate his effectiveness, despite sharing a similar height.
Left-hander Chihiro Sumida, standing at just 5 feet 9 inches, let a two-run homer slip by to Michael Garcia in the fifth, narrowing Japan’s lead to 5-4. Then, in the next inning, right-hander Hiromi Ito, also 5-foot-9, allowed three runs from Wylier Abreu, leading to a sudden 7-5 deficit for Samurai Japan.
Venezuela expanded their lead to 8-5 in the seventh when right-hander Atsuki Taneichi misfired a throw intended for Tovar at second, allowing him to score on the error.
