Czechia, Great Britain, Italy, and the Netherlands all suffered defeats on Saturday in group play at the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). The Dutch suffered their first defeat, 9-5 (box), at the hands of hosts Chinese Taipei, while Italy, also in Group A, fell, 2-0 (box), to Panama. The two European squads will meet on Sunday, with a Dutch win ensuring the side’s passage to the second round of the tournament.
In Tokyo, Czechia was overpowered by Japan, 10-2 (box), while in the nightcap in Phoenix, Great Britain made its WBC debut against the US, with an early 1-0 lead for Team GB giving way to a 6-2 (box) US victory.
Group A Tightens
A five-run second inning gave Chinese Taipei a commanding 5-1 lead that was never in threat, as the hosts collected the much-needed W, their second of the tournament, against the Dutch. A Yu Chang grand slam in the second inning set the home crowd into a frenzy, with the hosts tacking on additional runs in the third and fourth for a comfortable 8-2 lead that they would add to in the eighth. The Dutch responded with three late runs, with a ninth-inning solo homer by Ray-Patrick Didder the window dressing on the 9-5 Dutch defeat.
Elsewhere in Group A, Italy and Panama both began the day one win apiece, and in the end it was Panama who won the pitcher’s duel to book their second WBC victory . Panama’s pitchers allowed just five hits in a shutout of Team Italy, whose pitching staff allowed just seven hits themselves. Unfortunately for MLB Hall of Famer Mike Piazza’s squad, one of those hits was a second-inning solo homer by Jose Ramos. Panama maintained the slim 1-0 lead until the seventh, when Panama put together two singles for the game’s second run and the 2-0 final.
Italy and the Netherlands will now meet on Sunday, with a Dutch victory ensuring the team’s progress to the second round. An Italian victory, on the other hand, would leave all five teams in the group with a 2-2 record, with progress to the second ground depending on the intricacies of the WBC tiebreaker rules.
Czechia Overpowered by Japan
In Tokyo, Czechia was overpowered by pitching phenom Roki Sasaki and his Japan teammates. Twenty-one of Sasaki’s 66 pitches topped 100 miles per hour as he struck out eight and allowed just two hits in his 3.2 innings of work. Sasaki’s colleagues added another Ks on the way to a comfortable 10-2 victory, Japan’s third in the tournament.
Czechia did manage an early lead, however, with a Marek Chlup double in the first inning, recorded at 109.2 miles per hour off the bat on a 101.9 mile-per-hour slider by Sasaki, allowing the North Greenville University outfielder to score after a throwing error later in the inning. Thereafter it was all Japan, with the hosts enjoying an 8-2 lead after five innings, with two more runs tacked on in the eighth for the final result.
In a personal highlight in the loss, Czech starter Ondrej Satoria struck out 2021 American League MVP Shohei Ohtani, with MLB.com’s reporting on the event saying all there is to be said about the Czech’s WBC journey: “Czech electrician strikes out Ohtani, earns bragging rights for life”.
Czechia will face South Korea on Sunday.
Team GB Falls to US on First Day of Group C Action
In Phoenix, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thomspon, batting second for Team GB in the top of the first inning, got his country’s WBC journey off to a dream start with a solo homer, but the US responded with two runs in the third and three more in the fourth on their way to a comfortable 6-2 victory.
The silver lining was that seven British batters contributed hits, with Thompson later adding a double to accompany his home run, even with Seattle Mariners’ #1 prospect Harry Ford going 0-for-4 on the day.
Team GB takes on Canada on Sunday.
For complete schedules, stats, and standings, visit MLB’s World Baseball Classic homepage.