On Saturday, March 11, Japan defeated Czech Republic 10-2 to advance to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. Shohei Ohtani stole a base and had an RBI double.
Japan did not get off to a smooth start, going down one run in the first inning. Despite the rough start, Japan’s young pitcher, 21-year-old Roki Sasaki helped the team keep the Czech Republic to just two runs. According to MLB reporter Michael Clair, Sasaki threw pitches that reached over 100 MPH 21 times in 66 pitches.
In the fourth inning, three players stepped up to the plate to help Japan. According to FOX Sports, Lars Nootbaar, Kensuke Kondoh and Ohtani all hit RBIs to make the score 6-1. That inning, Ohtani also stole third base allowing him to score making the game 7-1 for Japan.
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