WBSC Premier12 2024: Japan suffer first loss since 2019 as Chinese Taipei crowned champions
The reigning World Baseball Classic and Olympic champions are stunned by Chinese Taipei, who hold the hosts to just four hits in Tokyo and end their 27-game winning streak.
Baseball Softball
Samurai Japan lost for the first time in five years and with it the Premier 12 title after being outclassed by Chinese Taipei 4-0 in the final in Tokyo on Sunday (24 November).
The World Baseball Classic and Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions’ 27-game winning streak came to a screeching halt at Tokyo Dome, where a majority of the sellout crowd of 41,827 were trying to suspend their disbelief.
Japan’s last defeat was at the 2019 Premier12, when they were beaten 4-3 by USA in the Super Round. The Chinese Taipei team, media and fans on hand to witness the upset were already hailing it as the greatest night in the history of their sport.
Chinese Taipei captain Chen Chieh-hsien was named MVP after a tournament in which he had obscene numbers, batting .625 with an OPS of 1.617 with two home runs - including a three-run blast in the fifth inning off Togo Shosei on Sunday that crippled Japan - six RBIs and 22 total bases.
Japan manager Ibata Hirokazu pointed the finger at himself for the stunning collapse.
“From the first game til today, the players did really well in the nine games,” Ibata said. “We got this far because they fought and it’s on me for not being able to lead them to a win in the end.
“I can’t apologise enough to them for the way things turned out.”
Chinese Taipei manager Tseng Hao-jiu: 'This really happened'
Japan were aiming to become the first tournament champions to finish with a perfect record but Chinese Taipei had other ideas.
Chinese Taipei jumped out to the lead by getting to Togo with a four-run fifth, started off by a solo shot to right from Lin Chia-cheng.
Then with one out, Chen Chen-wei singled to right and Lin Li drew a walk, bringing Chen Chieh-hsien to the plate. With the count full, Chen homered to right, putting the visitors up 4-0.
“I really could have never imagined this,” Chen said. “We showed the world who we are, showed what Chinese Taipei could do. I’m so happy we managed to beat a strong team like them.
“I knew Togo is a very good player. But I did not want to lose to him. I competed one pitch at a a time.”
The hosts simply did not have an answer. Perhaps it was pressure, but Japan - who had a run differential of +34 through two rounds of games - had just four hits for the game, none for extra bases.
Chinese Taipei lefty Lin Yu-min set the tone with one-hit ball over four innings, and three relievers followed suit. The game ended on a double play as Kurihara Ryota lined out and Morishita Shota couldn’t make it back to first in time.
Said winning manager Tseng Hao-jiu, “There are endless possibilities in life. If you keep challenging yourself, they will become realised. I want to thank my players for daring to keep dreaming.
“This does not feel real. But this really happened.”
Ibata and Japan must have been thinking the same.
USA beat Venezuela again for bronze
USA defeated Venezuela for the second straight day, this time a more comprehensive 6-1 victory to win the bronze medal.
A night after edging Venezuela 6-5 to shatter their dreams of advancing to the final, the US denied the Central Americans a medal behind a strong start from Casey Lawrence who threw six scoreless innings.
Lawrence struck out seven and held the opposition to four hits. Carson Williams drove in three runs for Mike Scioscia’s side, who managed to finish the tournament strong.
“It was just a great opportunity to come out here for Team USA and compete for a gold medal - that was our goal,” said Lawrence, who threw 70 pitches.
“Like Sosh said, we fell a little bit short which was disappointing but just the overall tournament, to come out here and play to win the game and that's something that I take a lot of pride in - giving the team the best chance to win.”
Scioscia again just came up short in Japan, after settling for silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and now bronze at Premier12. He does believe the US will be an entirely different proposition at the next WBC in 2026.
“Our young players are going to take this experience and move forward with it,” the former Los Angeles Angels skipper said. “And when we talk about the WBC, you’re talking about the best of the best. So the level of play is going to be a tick above and you have to be ready for it.
“I think like any country that has aspirations to be one of the premier baseball countries in the world, you have to be ready for it and I know that our USA baseball administration will get the best team they can in the United States and hopefully have a great tournament with the WBC.”