Japan defeats Australia 9-3 in the Group B opener of the WBSC Premier12 2024. © (@TeamAusBaseball)
NAGOYA, JAPAN – November 13, 2024 – Japan kicked off the WBSC Premier12 2024 in dominant fashion, securing a 9-3 win over Australia in the opening match of Group B. With solid pitching and timely hitting, the Samurai Japan team made an early statement in the tournament, taking advantage of Australia’s defensive mistakes and capitalizing on critical moments to seal the victory.
Held at the Vantelin Dome in Nagoya, Japan, in front of 30,691 fans, the game saw Japan take control early, scoring in six of the first eight innings. The defending champions ranked No. 1 in the WBSC/KONAMI Men’s Baseball World Ranking, quickly gained a 5-0 lead by the fourth inning.
Despite Australia’s strong response in the sixth, when they hit a pair of long home runs, Japan added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth to secure the comfortable win.
Japan’s manager, Hirokazu Ibata, expressed relief after the victory, acknowledging the pressure of playing in an international tournament. “I’m extremely relieved. In the unique tension of an international game, I was nervous when the game started, but the players did a great job,” said Ibata. “I’m grateful to be able to start the tournament here, where my baseball career began. And I’m thrilled to have won, thanks to all the fans who supported us.”
Australia’s manager, David Nilsson, was disappointed with his team’s performance, particularly the defensive lapses that led to costly runs. “I was disappointed. And what I was disappointed about was that we just gave some cheap runs, which is very difficult with the quality of the team now. That was where my disappointment was from us, disappointed for the players,” Nilsson said. “You know, they put a lot of work in and didn’t perform the way they wanted to show. We’re all in together, and we’ll stick together. We’ll be fine the next few days.”
Japan wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Masayuki Kuwahara crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly by Ryosuke Tatsumi in the first inning. The Samurai continued to capitalize on Australia’s defensive mistakes, with Rixon Wingrove’s fielder’s choice in the second inning leading to another run and a wild pitch in the third, bringing in another. In the fourth, Kotaro Kurebayashi and Shogo Sakakura scored on an errant throw during an infield ground ball.
Left-handed pitcher Haruto Inoue was in dominant form early, striking out eight batters in the first five innings and allowing only three hits. “I was very nervous at the beginning, but I’m so happy that we were able to win as a team,” said Inoue after the game. “Catcher Sakakura led me with a very aggressive game plan. Thanks to his lead, I could throw freely and fully commit to my pitches.”
Australia fought back in the sixth inning, as Ulrich Bojarski led off with a solo home run to centre field. After a single by Travis Bazzana, Rixon Wingrove connected for a two-run homer to narrow the gap to 5-3. However, it was the only real threat Australia posed throughout the game. Japan responded immediately, with Shugo Maki hitting an RBI single in the seventh and back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Shota Morishita and Ryoya Kurihara in the eighth to extend their lead.
Morishita was a standout performer for Japan, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a single, a walk, and two RBIs. Sakakura scored twice, and Japan finished the game with 13 hits in total. For Australia, Bazzana, the No. 1 MLB draft pick this year, collected two singles and stole a base, though he expressed disappointment with the overall performance. “Two hits were good in this environment, but how we played was disappointing. So it only means so much,” Bazzana said. “My approach was consistent with how I wanted to attack the pitching. That was very quality pitching throughout the game, but I had a plan, and it worked out two at-bats and the other two; I missed some good pitches to hit, but will bounce back in the next game.”
On the pitching side, Australia struggled with consistency. Manager Nilsson made 12 pitching changes throughout the game, a record for a nine-inning contest in WBSC Premier12 history. Lewis Thorpe was charged with the loss after giving up several key runs.
Looking ahead, both teams will travel to Taiwan as the tournament moves forward. Australia will face the Dominican Republic on Friday, while Japan will take on Korea. Nilsson remained confident in his team’s ability to bounce back. “We did come in here expecting we’re going to win every game because we know the talent is outstanding. We know the opposition is perfect,” said Nilsson. “Losing one game will not derail us or take us off course. We know every team will have to battle, and every team will probably count a loss along the way, and it’s having the ability to bounce back.”
Japan’s manager, Hirokazu Ibata, is optimistic about his team’s forward prospects. “We will fight with all our might, one game at a time. First, we’ll head to Taiwan and aim to advance through the qualifiers, then return to Japan,” Ibata said.
With their first victory, Japan will look to maintain their momentum as they continue their quest for the WBSC Premier12 2024 title.
