Japan Falls to Venezuela in Quarterfinals of World Baseball Classic
Shohei Ohtani and his teammates from Japan won’t be able to defend their title as World Baseball Classic champions after losing to Venezuela in the quarterfinals.
Ohtani’s impressive third home run of the tournament didn’t change the outcome, marking the end of Japan’s 11-game WBC winning streak.
On Saturday night, Venezuela staged an exciting comeback. Michael Garcia hit a crucial two-run homer, followed by Wylier Abreu’s three-run blast that propelled Venezuela to an 8-5 victory over the defending champions.
This win means Venezuela is advancing to the WBC semifinals for the first time since 2009. They will also join the United States and Dominican Republic in the upcoming 2028 Olympic Baseball Tournament.
Venezuela’s next challenge is against undefeated Italy on Monday, while the day before, the United States faces the Dominican Republic.
Abreu’s home run, coming off losing pitcher Hiromi Ito in the sixth inning, gave Venezuela a 7-5 advantage. He connected with a 2-1 fastball, sending it 409 feet into right field. In the eighth inning, Ezequiel Tovar contributed a double to increase the lead, with a throwing error allowing an additional score, bringing the tally to 8-5.
Ohtani, who was named the WBC MVP for 2023, opened the scoring in the bottom of the first after Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a homer. Ohtani then followed up, hitting a 401-foot home run into right-center field for his second in the tournament.
Venezuela’s pitcher Emmanuel de Jesus threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, while Daniel Palencia secured the save. Ohtani was on the field for the last out, symbolically ending Japan’s hopes.
Japan had a solid start, featuring a game-tying three-run homer from Shota Morishita, who replaced the injured Seiya Suzuki. They managed to lead 5-2 at one point, but the momentum shifted after Garcia’s homer tied the game at 5-4.
Yamamoto, the World Series MVP, pitched effectively, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out five over four innings.
