Japan Loses to Venezuela 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 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 was the WBC champion in the previous tournament in 2023. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]