Samurai Japan Up for WBC Quarterfinals after Sweeping Pool Round

Tokyo, March 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese national baseball team, nicknamed Samurai Japan, won all four of its pool-stage games in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, advancing to the quarterfinals in the United States. On Tuesday, Samurai Japan defeated the Czech Republic 9-0 at Tokyo Dome. The two sides were scoreless until the eighth inning, when Japan’s Ukyo Shuto hit a three-run home run and Munetaka Murakami belted a grand slam. Samurai Japan looks to win the tournament again after becoming champions in the previous 2023 event. The Japanese team got off to a strong start with a 13-0 drubbing of Chinese Taipei last Friday. It eked out an 8-6 victory against South Korea on Saturday before securing the top spot in Pool C with a 4-3 win against Australia the following day. South Korea finished second in the pool, also securing a spot in the quarterfinals. Starting this Friday, the knockout round will be held in Miami, Florida, and other U.S. cities. Japan is set to face the second-place finisher in Group D–either the Dominican Republic or Venezuela–on Saturday. The Japanese team arrived in Miami early Wednesday local time, and will begin practicing later in the day. During the pool round, Major League stars on the Japanese team performed strongly as expected, with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Murakami of the Chicago White Sox hitting grand slams and Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs and Masataka Yoshida of the Boston Red Sox also notching homers. In the bullpen, which some feared could be Japan’s weak link due to star players being sidelined by injury, Atsuki Taneichi of the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, or NPB, stood out. The Marines’ ace starter allowed no one on base in his two appearances in the pool round, striking out five over two innings. Taneichi joined the bullpen after Kaima Taira and Daichi Ishii of the NPB’s Saitama Seibu Lions and Hanshin Tigers, respectively, as well as Yuki Matsui of the MLB’s San Diego Padres, declined to join Samurai Japan due to injuries. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]