Team “Europe” comes up just short in Game of Inches #EURvsJPN

by Riccardo Schiroli from Tokyo

COMPLETE PLAY BY PLAY GAME#1 JAPAN vs EUROPE

I felt many things Tuesday night at the Tokyo Dome.

I felt a lot of emotion and excitment before the game, expecially when the annoucer said it was time for the National Anthems and everybody amongst the europeans wondered what was going to happen. Then I heard the notes of the Ode to Joy by Beethoven, the tune that was proclaimed the Anthem of Europe in 1972 and is officially the Anthem of the European Union, but: “Has never been played for a team of any sport”, as the President of the French Federation Didier Seminet commented.

I felt proud and I sensed pride. Riccardo Fraccari, President of the World Baseball Softball Confederation was all smiles. And I have never seen him smile after a loss: “This is so much, for European baseball and for the game of baseball overall”.

I heard some disappointment in the words of Steve Janssen, the manager for Team All Euro: “We didn’t come here to play good games, but to win games” but it didn’t take long to hear pride in his voice. Talking to the Japanese media he said: “European baseball didn’t start today. The Netherlands and Italy already showed they can compete at the World Baseball Classic level and The Netherlands won the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup. Still, there’s much more in European baseball”.

Also: for the first time in my life, at 6’4″ I felt short. That happened while I was standing by Loek Van Mil for an interview. And that was a strange feeling indeed. Van Mil had just given up the runs that costed Europe the game, but there was pride in his words too: “The score disappoints me, but not the way I pitched. Did they rush me to the mound? No, they didn’t. I was ready. You mentioned the fact baseball is a game of inches and tonight was the case. I wanted to get ground balls, I got them but…they went the wrong way and beat me”.

Europe may come back tomorrow and win, but still regrets will fly west on Thursday when players and coaches make it back home. With only six outs to go, All Euro were leading 3-1 and had shut out Samuray Japan in six innings out of seven. When Shairon Martins made it to the mound, there was a lot of hope he could pitch in the groove of Rob Cordemans, Alessandro Maestri and Jose Escalona.

The former Nationals and Twins hurler walked a couple of guys and left for Van Mil. Designated hitter Tsutsogoh doubled between Infante and the third base line, third baseman Matsuda took advantage of the infield in with a single and center fielder Yuhei, who had given up two runs in the fourth misplaying a deep fly ball by Euro shortstop Oscar Angulo, won it with a base hit to the the middle.

As Van Mil said, baseball is a game of inches. A hard hit fly ball by Yurendell De Caster off reliever Nishino fell just inches short of a game tying home run in the ninth.

One last thing I will remeber about that night is that the best player was not happy: “It’s good I got 3 hits” said Euro first baseman Curt Smith “But I’d rather give them up for a win”.

Photos by World Baseball Softball Confederation