Overview:
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Teams: Japan, South Korea, Australia, Czechia, China
Venue: Tokyo Dome (home of the Yomiuri Giants)
Initial Thoughts:
Having the two giants of Asia drawn in the same group is what dreams are made of. Of course, there are also bitter rivals with a long history that goes even beyond baseball. To make it even better, the group includes a plucky Aussie team and its can-do spirit, a Chinese team determined to take down two Asian rivals, and the underdog that you and I can so easily see ourselves in from Czechia. As a cherry on top, there is simply nothing quite like the mad house that is a packed Tokyo Dome.
Japan have assembled perhaps their strongest ever squad which is unfathomable given that they’ve already won this tournament twice. Every NPB star worth his salt plus Ohtani and Darvish is scary indeed for whoever plays them. South Korea also bring a formidable squad to bear with most KBO stars present including some MLB vets, Kim Ha-Seong and Korean-American star Tommy Edman. They also have a long rap sheet of international success to boast of. The Aussies are trying to break through from the group stage for the first time ever and are trying to build on a 2017 WBC where they almost upset Cuba. Czechia are enjoying their first major baseball success and would love to build on it by pecking off a couple of wins in the WBC itself. China would love to take that next step forward, preferably at the expense of their two Asian rivals.
This pool will be big on emotion, big of competitive fire and big on juicy storylines. But the question remains, who will wind up being big in Japan? Will it be the forever young Shoehei Ohtani and his star-studded squad, or does someone else step up and snatch his thunder.
Japan:
Hashtag “loaded” would be the best way to describe this team. Just Othani is two superstars in one. Yu Darvish is a stud for the Padres. To top it off, Seiya Suzuki and Lars Nootbar are in on the fun plus MLB newcomer Masataka Yoshida. But Ohtani says he’s not the best player on the team so who is? Well, on the hitting side, Munetaka Murakami all but rewrote the NPB record book as far as power hitting is concerned. In addition, Japan boast Tetsudo Yamata and Shugo Maki plus Sosuke Genda. On the pitching side, maybe he was referring to Roki Sasaki who retired an absurd 52 batters in a row in early 2022. He boasts a perfect game and an obscene 2.10 career ERA in his young career and with a 101 MPH fastball, is it any wonder? And yes, he is not their only dangerous starter. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on this squad also along with a litany of other great NPB pitchers that helped Japan to Olympic gold.
Japan’s record of international success is such that it really needs no introduction. They have never finished worse than third in a WBC and have won it twice (2006, 2009). Nobody takes this event more seriously and it shows. They are also the reigning Olympic champions, having romped to the title on home soil to get that final feather in their cap. They also have a long history of success at the Asian Games and Premier 12. In 2006 and 2009 it was Ichiro who led the way. Today, it falls on the man who may command the salary of two superstars this winter because he really is two superstars in one. This is the most feared team outside the Dominican Republic for a reason and they are at home. To boot, if you’ve ever seen how Japanese baseball is lived and experienced, you know how big home field advantage is to them, especially in a closed, conveniently acoustic setting such as the Tokyo Dome. Maybe Shohei is talking about the fans when he says he’s not the best player on the squad.
South Korea:
Thanks to ESPN having run with KBO games in 2020, you may recognize a few more names in the Korean squad than you otherwise would have. Good thing too because it contains some rather dangerous pieces meant to spoil the party for Shohei and the boys. Most of the squad is KBO stars (some with MLB experience) and some MLB pieces to round out. San Diego’s Kim Ha-Seong and Cardinal Tommy Edman (Korean Americans are on the squad for the first time) will be there. Former big leaguers Kim Kwang-Hyun, Kim Hyun-Soo, and Park Byung-Ho will be there too. KBO stars will include star catcher Yang Euiji, Kang Baek-Ho and Na Sung-Bum as well as likely future big leaguer Lee Jung-Hoo who has a swing as sweet as a Korean pancake packed with melted brown sugar. (just don’t burn your mouth or make a mess - grab a napkin please) On the pitching side, watch for KK of course but also for Koo Chang-Mo and the interesting delivery of Ko Young-Pyo. Youngster Won Tae-In should also impress for the Koreans.
The last two WBC editions have led to disappointing first round exits for Korea, including a rough 2017 edition at home which included a shock loss to Israel and eventual elimination against the Netherlands. The Tokyo Olympics also ended in heartbreak, losing the bronze medal game to the Dominican Republic. That said, Korea made the 2009 WBC final and the semis in 2006. They also have shocked their bitter rival Japan in this very same Tokyo Dome at the WBC so there’s a precedent. Korea also has Olympic gold to brag about from 2008 where Blue Jay Ryu Hyun-Jin (sadly out through injury) started the gold medal game versus Cuba. They are also the 2015 Premier 12 champs and silver medalists from 2019. Success in international baseball is not new for Korea and besides Japan, they can be considered favorites in pretty much every other game in this group. This team can and should be expected to get to the last four along with the team whose baseball destiny seems to always be so irrevocably intertwined with theirs.
Australia:
Not having Liam Hendricks or Curtis Mead is a big blow for Oz but this does not mean they don’t have aspirations in this group. They still have MLB vet Dave Nilsson managing. They also have MLB and KBO vet Warwick Saupold as an anchor in the rotation and Andrew Whitefiled also has some MLB time under his belt. Several other players have spent time in the high minors of the MLB system and are seasoned professionals, some of whom have enjoyed success overseas also. The bulk of the team however, will be comprised of players from their national league which is a pretty solid winter league that attracts pros from all over the world who want to keep sharp in the winter months or further their careers.
Australia have never made it out of round one at the WBC but have generally given a good account of themselves. They won a game in 2009 and also in 2017. In 2017, they put up a positive run differential for the first time (+7) and came oh so close to a shock win over Cuba that would have seen them through to round two. Many also forget that Australia did surprise the baseball world by winning an Olympic silver in 2004. They also hold a respectable 6th place finish at the 2019 Premier 12 tournament and have seen multiple native sons reach the big leagues over the years. Reaching the knockout stages will be tough in a group featuring two former finalists but this is a good group of baseballers who have the commitment and self-belief to cause upsets.
Czechia:
After losing their opening game of the WBC to Spain 21-7, I have to admit I doubted my prediction that the Czechs would make it to the WBC. Happily, my confidence in Gibraltar was not misplaced and the Czechs popped off wins over South Africa, Germany and that same Spanish team to secure a spot in Tokyo. And they did it almost exclusively with players from the local Extraliga. Only one MLB vet will be found here but there are names you should know and the story of how and why they got here is a must. For example, after pitching heroically in the final qualifier game, you should know Martin Schneider, and Martin Cervenka who got as high as AAA in the minor league system. Marek Shlup was great all through the qualifiers and is a big reason why they’re here. Martin Muzik is another hero of that win against Spain that got them here. The former big leaguer is one-time Blue Jay Eric Sogard. The Czechs will rely on the same grit that got them through the qualifiers and sound fundamental play to get them through this group.
You would be correct in saying that the Czechs have no major baseball accolades at international level however looking more closely reveals that they have been quietly getting a lot better very quickly. They are now firmly a top five team in Europe and their first European medal should just be a matter of time. They will host the 2023 Euros and much of this same squad should be present. I expect them to medal at that event. At the 2021 Euros, they looked impressive and only narrowly lost to eventual silver medalist Israel in the quarterfinals. They did beat that same Team Israel in the Olympic qualifier, the only blemish for a team that qualified for Tokyo going 4-1. The Czechs finished only a game out. This success has been a long time coming and this WBC should be another nice building block to a bright future. They may even pick up a shock win or two. Don’t bet against them just because the majority of these players have to work day jobs like you and me. They have a history of overachieving.
China:
China brings a squad of players mainly players from their local professional league plus a couple of minor leaguers (including Singaporean by birth Alan Carter) and one Japanese born NPB player of Chinese descent. (Yosuke Masago) There are also two players named Chen Chen (no relation) on the squad. American Dean Treanor will manage the team in Tokyo. American born Ray Chang will also make history by becoming one of the very few men to play in all five WBC tournaments. Other key pieces to watch are catcher Li Ning and pitchers Hai-Cheng Gong and youngster Jian Yi. What the squad lacks in starpower, they will look to compensate for with grit and solid fundamental play, and they will need that for sure.
China have been to all five WBCs but have never advanced beyond round one. They did pick up a win in both the 2009 and 2013 tournaments (Taiwan and Brazil respectively) but went winless in 2006 and 2017. 2017 was especially poor, scoring only one run. China hosted the 2008 Olympic baseball tournament and did pick up a win over Taiwan with a memorable 12th inning comeback. They also only lost 1-0 to eventual gold medalists Korea. China are not a powerhouse by any means in baseball but are generally competitive. They will need to be much better than in 2017 to have any shot in this group, and they are most likely staring Shohei Ohtani in the face for their opening game. Advancing will be very tough and picking a win or two would be considered a successful tournament for China but if they can shock either Japan or Korea, suddenly there’s a chance.
Comments