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Playing in front of over 40,000 passionate fans at the Tokyo Dome seems to suit Team Japan. Led by two-way phenomenon Shohei Ohtani, this star-studded lineup has cruised through the group stage of the tournament. It has been hard to find any flaws in this team that is performing at a high level on the offensive and defensive front.
Japan is currently the only 4-0 team in the World Baseball Classic. They have averaged 9.5 runs per game while conceding an average of just two runs per game. The offense has a tournament-high 38 runs to their name. That is more runs than China, Czech Republic and the Netherlands combined.
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WBC fans from around the globe took to Twitter to congratulate the nation on a stunning run. Fans have been impressed by the quality of baseball on display from Team Japan.
The road ahead will be much more difficult for Japan.
Cuba has already progressed from Pool A. The United States has a plethora of talent on the roster, including former MVPs Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Paul Goldschmidt. The Dominican Republic is considered one of the favorites for the tournaments. Venezuela are in search of their first World Baseball Classic championship.
Team Japan have impressed fans during their 4 game unbeaten run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic
Shohei Ohtani has been the standout player for Team Japan but several members of the team have played a key role. The St. Louis Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar has energized the team with his gusto and intensity. Kensuke Kondoh and Masataka Yoshida have also impressed.
The pitching rotation is stacked with talented options, including Yu Darvish, Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Team Japan is the only nation to win the World Baseball Classic more than once. They won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2006. Three years later, they repeated the feat by defeating Korea in the finals.
If they continue to perform at this high level, the other teams don’t stand much of a chance. Japan look like the favorites to win a historic third WBC championship.
