Japan beat the Netherlands 10-6 in the final game of Pool 1 and will have a chance to repeat as champions at the World Baseball Classic. Behind the bat of Shinnosuke Abe, the Japanese team cruised to victory winning Pool 1 at the WBC.
Abe went nuts in the second inning. He smacked two home runs, starting and finishing the Japanese rally as both shots came in the bottom of the second inning. Down 1-0, Abe took a high delivery and lined it over the right field wall. This shot tied the game 1-1. Later in the frame he took a low breaking ball and golfed it, once again, over the wall extending a Japanese lead making the game 8-1.
From then on, Japanese pitching cruised, until late in the game when the Netherlands attempted a comeback making the game 8-6. They scored two in the seventh and three in the eighth to trim the lead. However, Japan's bats added two in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach for good.
Credit has to be given to the Netherlands as they battled in this game without key players like Roger Bernadina and Yurendell de Caster, their three and four hitters respectively. Andrelton Simmons, the 22-year-old shortstop, smacked a home run that gave the Dutch an early lead. He took the second pitch of the game and placed it over the left-field wall.
Kalian Sams, Monday's ninth inning hero, finished 2-4 with a two runs scored, a double and an RBI. However, Abe provided the power and Hisayoshi Chono provided too much offense also finishing with a big game for Japan.
Chono and Abe combined for nine of the 10 Japanese runs. Chono finished 2-5, one run scored and five RBI. This combination proved deadly and ultimately cost the Netherlands a chance of winning the pool.
The Japanese now await a runner-up out of Pool 2 where they will face them in the semifinals. Pool 2takes off today as the U.S. faces Puerto Rico while the Dominican Republic faces Italy.
