(Mitsuru Tanaka: Associate Professor, Faculty of Sports Management, Shobi University)
In the final of the 3rd WBSC Premier 12, an international baseball tournament, Japan’s national team, Samurai Japan, lost 0-4 to Taiwan, their third match in the tournament, missing out on their second consecutive championship. Unlike the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which is attended by current major leaguers, the Premier 12, which is sponsored by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), was not expected to attract as much attention in Japan. However, the final was watched by more than 40,000 spectators, and TV ratings were high.
At the WBC, the Japanese team was motivated by the idea of “defeating the Major (USA),” but in this tournament, Japan, ranked No. 1 in the world, was in the position of being challenged by Taiwan and other countries eager to “defeat Japan.” Baseball is no longer an official Olympic sport, and with the exception of North, Central, and South America, Australia, and East Asia, baseball is only halfway through the world. Although Japan’s presence in terms of international competitiveness in terms of economy and diplomacy continues to decline, it gave the impression that it is in a position to lead the world in terms of “baseball prowess”.
Taiwan wanted to beat Japan even if it meant paying a fine.
“The players did a good job. It’s my fault we lost.”
Japan national team coach Hirokazu Ibata, who is set to coach the WBC until 2026, responded to the loss in the final as follows. They won all five games in Group B of the first league, and won three consecutive games in the second league held at Tokyo Dome, passing into the finals in first place. However, they lost in their third match against Taiwan, who had not lost in the previous two matches, making them keenly aware of the fear of a one-shot match.
The Taiwanese team celebrates after winning the championship (Photo: Kyodo News)
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This is the first time Japan has lost in an international tournament since the second round against the United States in the previous tournament in 2019, and the first loss in a major international tournament since the match against South Korea in March 2009. Following the 2019 Olympics, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2023 WBC, he has yet to win a major international tournament, and his winning streak in international tournaments has stopped at 27.
Taiwan has approached the finals with a tenacity that will leave no stone unturned.
Just before the second league game against Japan, it was decided that the team would advance to the finals, and they changed the pitcher Hayashi Hao-min, who had been announced as the absolute ace, to another pitcher. For Taiwan to advance to the finals, they needed a victory over the United States in the first match between Venezuela and the United States.
According to reports, Taiwan requested a change in pitcher when the US was in the lead. Since the match against Japan will be a closing match, it looks like they are saving their ace for the final. Japan objected, but the host WBSC approved the change and fined Taiwan approximately $2,000 (approximately 310,000 yen).
Pitcher Hayashi Hayashi is a left-handed pitcher who signed a contract with the Diamondbacks of the US Major League Baseball at the age of 18 and plays in the 3A minor league. In the final, he pitched against Japan’s pitcher Togo Togo (Giants), and by making use of his fastball of around 150km and the slowness of his changeup, he pitched no runs in the fourth inning and contributed to the team’s victory.
According to Tokyo Sports, Taiwan, which won the championship, will receive 7 million Taiwan dollars (approximately 33 million yen) per player, which is the average annual salary of professional baseball players in Taiwan, based on the rules regarding awards, “Kokuko Sports Medal Distribution Points.” A much higher reward will be paid. A local media reporter said that the final match against Japan attracted a lot of attention in Taiwan and was covered extensively on the front page of newspapers.
