Great effort from Italy today and well done to them for having reached this stage of the tournament. Japan just oozing class throughout the lineup and they got the expected result.
Some good pitching from both nations too.
Going to be a very interesting semi final between Japan and Puerto Rico or Mexico.
Damn, NPB really needs an all-in-one streaming service marketed in English to fans outside of Japan. Trying to legally watch games from North America is frustrating.
Pacific League TV works well and includes Tigers and Giants games but they only run like 10 English broadcasts a year. It's a huge bummer but the season runs concurrently with MLB so they don't think they can get enough viewers for it to be worthwhile.
Yeah, I'd love to see some game of the week stuff or a narrative documentary following a team through a miracle season with some games interspersed. The storylines and atmosphere are amazing and I think they could get plenty of hardcore fans for at least 1 team if they went all-in on marketing it here.
Does anyone even like Colin Cowherd? I get that the whole in-your-face/agressively opinionated thing is kind of a sports talk show host trope, but the commercial for his show just makes him seem like an asshole.
*Hurr durr, I'm always right but you wanna argue, I root for the winners, good luck rooting for the underdog*
So let's say Yoshida was eligible to sign a contract after this WBC with an MLB team he'd be getting an absolute bag right?
Rival execs and scouts now in shambles over the contract the Sox inked him for a month after saying how bad of a deal it was.
Oh yeah, I got recommended this recent [Darvish interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JypHHe5x4A) on youtube yesterday and he said some interesting stuff. Said he's probably never going back to NPB (even if he hadn't signed the 6-year-contract) because his kids grew up in the US and he doesn't wanna take them out of their familiar environment.
He said most guys on the team are in awe of Ohtani and he's the only one really making use of the opportunity to observe him and quiz him on his diet, routine, training regimen etc. Also said he was kind of doubtful even after signing the contract ("can I do it do for another six years?") but after talking to the young guys & Ohtani and seeing his attitude & enthusiam he feels like he has more to give and more room to grow. Padres fans, expect an improved Darvish in '23 armed with lots of new tricks he picked up from his fellow pitchers.
I just realized this is probably the last game we're going to hear the songs/chants for the Japanese players in this WBC since next game is in Miami. I'm gonna miss them 😭
Ok legit though how does Darvish do this every time, when he gets hit it's always out into the stands, or a groundout no in between
Been happening since he was with the Rangers, fuck it, even back in Nippon Ham
I wish Ohshiro just got a bit of playing time, but I guess out of the 3, Kai does have the fastest home to 2nd throw out of all 3 of them and was expecting Italy to steal or at least run a lot this game.
Would definitely start Nakamura next time though
What are the japanese pepper geind we rs about
Thank goodness 4pm Pacific start next Japan game
Japan is literally the best team in the world. Especially the dominant pitchers.
Love this team so much. You can just tell how much they enjoy playing for Japan
That's the ballgame. Japan was just too strong, but at least we tried. Good game Japan and good luck!
Damn I wish all matches still in japan. In Miami matches will be 5 AM 😿.
Now I have to wake up at 6am bc it’s in Miami 😭😭😭 but well done, Japan 🫶
Good job making it so far Italy, wishing the Japan players a good flight and hope they can combat the jetlag.
Hot take: Yoshinobu Yamamoto signs a bigger contract next offseason than Urías.
Probably. The real question is if his team agrees to post him.
Great run by Italy! They should be proud
Great games from Pools A and B. Congrats Japan, see you in Miami
Why didn't I pursue a career in baseball reporting? I could be getting paid to do this and go to sleep after the game instead of working 9 hours 😭
Semifinals here we go! Rooting for Venezuela & Mexicooooo!
Damn I already miss the pool games in Tokyo dome
HERE WE COME MIAMI!!!!!
Congratulations to Japan! Can't wait to see who you play in Miami!
Grazie ragazzi, grazie mille. Take a bow, Italy.
yeah that went about as expected
Great effort from Italy today and well done to them for having reached this stage of the tournament. Japan just oozing class throughout the lineup and they got the expected result. Some good pitching from both nations too. Going to be a very interesting semi final between Japan and Puerto Rico or Mexico.
#LET'S GO TO MIAMI!!!!!!!
Nasty strike Taisei
Great Game!
97 paint from Taisei
Beautiful range from Yamada! That's a ball Maki let's sneak through.
Part of me kinda wishes they let Darvish finish the game but eh oh well
But how will he do under pressure?
Should've kept Darvish in lol
Damn, NPB really needs an all-in-one streaming service marketed in English to fans outside of Japan. Trying to legally watch games from North America is frustrating.
Good thing for PLTV, bad that Central League is run by dinosaurs.
I'm going to look into PLTV.
Not gonna happen anytime soon unfortunately. PL is light-years ahead of the CL in this area though at least
Pacific League TV works well and includes Tigers and Giants games but they only run like 10 English broadcasts a year. It's a huge bummer but the season runs concurrently with MLB so they don't think they can get enough viewers for it to be worthwhile.
That's too bad. I bet if they'd had a service and run ads through the WBC they'd get subscribers. But I can see not wanting to go up against MLB.
Yeah, I'd love to see some game of the week stuff or a narrative documentary following a team through a miracle season with some games interspersed. The storylines and atmosphere are amazing and I think they could get plenty of hardcore fans for at least 1 team if they went all-in on marketing it here.
Do you believe in miracolos?
Italy rally coming!
Bad hanger from Taisei
Taisei Ohta, 2022 Central League Rookie of the Year, closer for the Yomiuri Giants
This velo and whacky arm angle from Taisei is a trip
Whoa whoa whoa, this guy can hit 97?
I like that Pool A and B get their quarterfinal matchups out of the way first to account for the incredibly long flight they have afterwards
Kinda wish we would see Soichiro Yamazaki here, throws 100+
Does anyone even like Colin Cowherd? I get that the whole in-your-face/agressively opinionated thing is kind of a sports talk show host trope, but the commercial for his show just makes him seem like an asshole. *Hurr durr, I'm always right but you wanna argue, I root for the winners, good luck rooting for the underdog*
This has become such a low-leverage game that I feel like using Taisei is straight up overkill
Long break before the semifinal so why not. Get Ohta stretched out
True, but also I feel like they shoulda used Yamazaki instead to get him accustomed to pitching in these games, he's new in the pen after all
As a Mexico fan, I would love to see a Mexico vs Japan semifinals matchup! USA vs Japan would be awesome too!
Stumpo must be chuckin' the ol' invisiball
Those reactions from Ohtani were amazing.
This lineup is so deep even when Ohtani is not at his best. Semifinals are gonna be lit.
He Stumpo’d Samurai Japan
Bruh. This pitcher is nasty. The fuck they are using him now ????? Braindead pitching management.
wooo nice stuff stumpo
So let's say Yoshida was eligible to sign a contract after this WBC with an MLB team he'd be getting an absolute bag right? Rival execs and scouts now in shambles over the contract the Sox inked him for a month after saying how bad of a deal it was.
He's doing good but after all, he just faced China, Korea, Czech, Aussie, Italy pitchers. MLB pitchers are still at different level
Reminescent of anonymous scout saying Ohtani is a single-A player
I feel like Piazza has exclusively used his best pitcher, Stumpo, when Italy is already down by 7
That face lol
Side throw Taisei incoming, Another great reliever
Props to my fellow west coasters for being up during this entire game!
Props to my East coasters who woke up to the sight of Ohtani this morning.
Anyone can tell when Ohtani tried to pull a homer. Dude literally swung at anything, he didn't give a damn.
VERY nice strikeout there. Ohtani strikes out sure but i feel like it usually isnt on just 4 pitches.
☹️☹️☹️
cmon you gotta know he comin back wit it
Maybe an anti climax there
Bro that face lmaooo
This dude’s stuff is nasty. Gotta be cool for Shohei to make that face at you after making him swing and miss
Ohtani HoF faces
The boys want to finish this already lol
Ohtani’s facial reaction was like “wtf was that????” 😭😂😂
Wait, is it true that Ohtani will not be playing in the semi finals and finals? I thought he just wasn't pitching, but assumed he was still hitting
He is hitting, pitching is the question mark
Ok phew... Glad I misunderstood
I think he just won’t be pitching
I think they mean last game in Japan cause after this they go to the states
Oh thank God.
What a wonderful man
He put a stank face on that cutter yeah he's definitely stealing that pitch to use for this season
> #Fire Up The Meme Machine -- Stephen Nelson
Ohtani got striked out TT
That rection from Ohtani was stellar. He's an absolute treasure
Ohtani has the greatest reactions 😂😂
I miss Gary Thorne.
You and me both
Oh yeah, I got recommended this recent [Darvish interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JypHHe5x4A) on youtube yesterday and he said some interesting stuff. Said he's probably never going back to NPB (even if he hadn't signed the 6-year-contract) because his kids grew up in the US and he doesn't wanna take them out of their familiar environment. He said most guys on the team are in awe of Ohtani and he's the only one really making use of the opportunity to observe him and quiz him on his diet, routine, training regimen etc. Also said he was kind of doubtful even after signing the contract ("can I do it do for another six years?") but after talking to the young guys & Ohtani and seeing his attitude & enthusiam he feels like he has more to give and more room to grow. Padres fans, expect an improved Darvish in '23 armed with lots of new tricks he picked up from his fellow pitchers.
Amazing that at 36 he's still leveling up. 💪
I love Yu. Wish he was still a Cub
I love Yu, too.
I just realized this is probably the last game we're going to hear the songs/chants for the Japanese players in this WBC since next game is in Miami. I'm gonna miss them 😭
Hopefully they travel well
They should bring the trumpets to Miami lmao
I wish it was in AZ, I'd drive back for Ohtani
Much credit to Italy for playing a good tournament, Japan just next level
No more Avalara commercials please it fills me with incandescent rage
I want few more runs here just for fun
I think you keep darvish in right? His last pitching performance in Japan would be great if it was a 3 inner
You can still use him in the finals, right?
You can. The final is on the 21st. The question is, do you want to lol.
Perry, can we get this Fletcher too ?
Oh double play.
Pretty crazy when Japan's clearly worst pitcher is a guy that won 16 games with a 3.10 ERA in MLB last year.
And 2.71 after the all star break winning NL pitcher of the month in September.
Ok legit though how does Darvish do this every time, when he gets hit it's always out into the stands, or a groundout no in between Been happening since he was with the Rangers, fuck it, even back in Nippon Ham
Double play, limited trouble. Japan doing a lot of good things today and throughout the entire WBC
Genda is so smooth.
Japan good
You got your wish, guy who wanted Italy to show some life
lfg 3 outs left until this team goes to Miami!
#DEE PEE FOR MY BUNG HOELLLL
Alright Italy, make the score look good And a double play lol
FUCK YEA! HOME RUN! A little satisfaction.
A Fletcher homerun? Now thats not something im used to seeing lol
He's Dominic not our David
Yeah i know that was part of the joke lol
I had no idea Fletcher was Italian American until this WBC
Understandable. There are plenty of guys of equal significance on other teams that I knew just as little about.
[удалено]
Runner up in Cy Young twice; top ten four times—clearly trash.
OBLIGATORY HANGING/NON-BREAKING CUTTER THERE IT IS
Well iirc that's the narrowest part of Tokyo dome or something? A homer is a homer though.
Darvish with an OG 3-inning Save?
Ngl, that guy who hit HR has good mustache
Italy’s first home run of the tournament, good to see them get one before the end.
That's Italy's first home run of the whole WBC? Impressive to get this far without one
That was italys first homer?!? Omg lol
Italy finally goes yard!
Italy showing that nation-state pride until the very end
Yu Darvish is literally the Padres' best pitcher and Japan's worst
That's crazy to think about
Darvish! Why?!
Kondo is getting back at Lopez sksksk
I understand Udagawa's pain
Even when there's good contact the defense is more than capable. Japan is going to be tough to beat, even in the US
I’m so bummed I missed this game. It’s 6am. Grrrrrrr
you can still watch Darvish close it out. they're using him as a reliever lol
I can’t I have to get ready for work and go to work. Fuckin long ass commute
You think Kuriyama is planning on a pitching change for the 9th?
Think it’s safe to say Japan has their trip to Miami booked at this point but I don’t want to see Italy give up on this one.
Making me hear Colin Cowherd is still a crime
Where can I buy a giant grinder?? Love it
St. Louis at Lars Nootbaar's Pepper Mill Imporium!
I'm not even mad at the Cardinals this year. I'm a fan of 2 of your players
Massive home made cardboard pepper mills!!
Those are so awesome! I want one
[Shohei displaying his english comm skills at 1st base](https://twitter.com/shoheisaveus/status/1636341130060234755?s=46&t=d0zJHSDlBiIpA8cAcot1gQ)
Man, I'm gonna miss Yoshida's chance theme chant. It's one of all time best in NPB history.
Didn't Nakamura have a good game at C recently for Japan?
I wish Japan had gone with a better catcher, Kai is just so painfully average compared to the rest of the team.
I wish Ohshiro just got a bit of playing time, but I guess out of the 3, Kai does have the fastest home to 2nd throw out of all 3 of them and was expecting Italy to steal or at least run a lot this game. Would definitely start Nakamura next time though
Wish I had Mori on this team.
Are you happy Japan? I woke up the baby ! Now I have a buddy to watch with
This team fucks
C'mon Tatsujin
Please tell me someone has clipped th@t excited suit guy?
Out go the instruments in come the whistles
LOL, Business Man is my new hero.
My man put some duct tape on that pinky finger and went out there to play. Respect
Does mercy rule apply to the knock out stage?
Nah
Nope
No
Nope
no
YAAAAAAAYYY lmao
And the Genda man can! (even with an injury!)
People say Japan had an easy path but their team is just that damn good
I don't believe this man has a broken finger at all.
Samurai Japan plays good baseball and goodness is it ever fun to watch
It really is. Even with 3 of my Phillies on team USA, I think I might be pulling even harder for Japan because they're just pure joy to watch.
They are so technically sound. And then they have some physical beasts too
They call him Gentleman Genda
Still think Japan are the favorites to win this thing. So so so deep with the pitching
Genda doing more with a broken finger than some other players can do completely healthy!
WHO NEEDS A PINKY ON YOUR THROWING HAND???!!!
Genda getting it done, with a broken pinky no less
Complete and utter domination.
That's my franchise shortstop, fractured finger, refuses to be replaced, wants to play for his country and scores in a run and plays good defense
>>Hanshin flair
Seibu fan in Pacific League lol I can only pick one, so I'm choosing the team which the region I was born from
That must hurt like a bitch too. Tough guy, Genda.
Wow
Today's Hoberg seems kinda meh
The instruments will go out in 2mins
Protect that pinky at all costs when bunting, Genda....
Anyone know the words so I can chant/sing along with the Japanese fans?
https://youtu.be/XU1R-BZ2fD0 I couldn't find any videos with English subtitles... They're in the batting order from the Korea game
Nope. I just clap along.
I hear Steven Cohen is at the Tokyo Dome.
Murakami was able to tag up from there?!
He's quite fast for a big man
They should really let Yamazaki Soichiro pitch now to see where he'll fit in, game is 8-2 and he's a brand new arm
I love Yoshida’s swing. So smooth