Japan took the bronze medal at the World Cup of Baseball after a 5-0 shutout against the Netherlands. It is the fifth time in championship history that the Asian team takes third. The Dutch equalized their best result, achieved 2005 in their home country.
The people in attendance saw a great pitchers duel. Tadashi SETTSU (W 4-0), who had just one day rest after throwing 89 pitches in his win against Australia in the quarterfinals, battled Leon BOYD (L 1-1) on the mound. Everybody knew, whoever scores first will win. And it was the Japanese team which came through in the sixth. Takashi YOSHIURA put the first run on the board with a RBI-double and scored moments later on a RBI-single by Kenichi YOKOYAMA. Two frame later they added three more on a RBI-single by Yasayuki SAIGO and a two-run-double by Kei NOMOTO.
SETTSU allowed just one hit and a walk in seven dominant innings. He struck out seven. Kohhei HASEBE closed out the game for the save.
Boyd gave up five hits, two runs and three base on balls in 5 2/3 innings. Loek VAN MIL, Michiel VAN KAMPEN, Diegomar MARKWELL and Kenny BERKENBOSCH appeared on the mound too.
NED 000 000 000 0 2 1
It’s Loek Van Mil, not Van Miel
Sorry.