Japan Eliminated in WBC Quarterfinals

Miami, March 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan lost to Venezuela 8-5 in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic on Saturday, marking the first time that the Asian powerhouse, a three-time WBC champion, has missed a semifinal spot in the history of the international baseball tournament. In the game at LoanDepot Park in Miami, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to help Japan catch up with Venezuela 1-1. In the third inning, Shota Morishita of the Hanshin Tigers slugged a three-run homer, with the Japanese national team, nicknamed Samurai Japan, taking a 5-2 lead. After Venezuela scored two runs in the fifth inning, Japanese right-hander Hiromi Ito of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters gave up a three-run home run in the sixth inning, allowing the South American country to overtake Samurai Japan 7-5. Venezuela added one more run in the eighth inning. Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers, who started the game for Japan, allowed two runs in four innings. Japan won the WBC in 2006, 2009 and 2023. In another quarterfinal game in the 2026 tournament, the sixth WBC, on Saturday, held at Daikin Park in Houston, Italy defeated Puerto Rico 8-6 to reach the last four for the first time. Venezuela and Italy are set to face off in a semifinal game at LoanDepot Park on Monday. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]