'Big shock' 日탈락, 'the first ever' eliminated from the quarterfinals! KO → 2 ⅓ scoreless innings with 3 home runs in Venezuela, Heyesus 'winning pitcher' [Miami Field Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan, the defending champion of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), failed to overcome Venezuela's firepower and packed in the quarterfinals.

The Japanese national baseball team, led by coach Hirokazu Ibata (51), lost to Venezuela 5-8 in the 2026 WBC quarterfinals at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, at 10 a.m. on the 15th (Korea time). Japan, which made it 0-1 to 1-1, went 5-2 but fell to their knees, allowing a comeback.

As a result, Japan failed to advance to the semifinals and recorded its lowest record ever in WBC participation. This is the first time in the history of the tournament that Japan has not crossed the semifinal threshold.

Japan batted in the order of Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Teruaki Sato (right fielder), Seiya Suzuki (center fielder), Masataka Yoshida (left fielder), Kazuma Okamoto (third baseman), Munetaka Murakami (first baseman), Shugo Maki (second baseman), Sosuke Kenda (striker) and Kenya Wakatsuki (catcher). Yamamoto Yoshinobu (LA Dodgers) came out as the starting pitcher.

Against this, Venezuela also formed a lineup of major league players, including Ronald Acuña Jr. (right fielder), Michael Garcia (third baseman), Luis Arraez (first baseman), Eugenio Suarez (designated hitter), Ezekiel Toba (striker), Gleyber Torres (second baseman), Willier Abreille (left fielder), Salvador Perez (catcher), and Jackson Churio (center fielder). The starting pitcher was Rangers Suarez (Boston Red Sox).

Both teams exchanged scores from the first inning. The share of the first place was in Venezuela. Leading hitter Acuña Jr. fired a solo shot over the right-center wall against Yamamoto to gain the upper hand.

However, Ohtani also responded in the bottom of the first inning. With two balls and one strike, Ohtani rolled up Ranger Suarez's low slider and crossed the middle fence. The ball became a large solo home run over the middle fence at a launch angle of 24 degrees. Ohtani's flying distance was 427 feet (about 130 meters), further than Acuña Jr.'s (401 feet).

In the top of the second inning, Venezuela brought back the lead. Gleyber Torres' timely hit made it 2-1 following a double by leadoff hitter Ezequiel Toba.

Japan used its concentration. Japan balanced 2-2 with a timely double by Teruaki Sato in the bottom of the third inning, trailing 1-2, and then took a chance with one out and runners on first and third. Here, Morissita Shota, who was replaced by an injury, quickly turned the game around 5-2 by hitting the first pitch of Venezuelan starter Ranger Suarez and hitting an upset three-run home run.

Venezuela didn't give up either. In the top of the fifth inning, leadoff hitter Cho Chi-oh walked, and the next Acuña Jr. struck out and lowered his head, but Maikel Garcia hit eight pitches (94 miles of fastball) of Japanese second pitcher Chihiro Sumida in a 2-2 strike to draw a two-run shot over left-center field. The three-point difference game was close by one point.

In the top of the sixth inning, Venezuela made a comeback. Toba and Torres' consecutive hits made it to first and second base with no outs, where Abreu hit pitcher Ito Hiromi's high fastball (90.9 miles) in a two-ball-1 strike and crossed the right-center fence. In an instant, the score went from 4-5 to 7-5. Japan, which was again hit by Toba's leadoff double in the top of the eighth inning, quickly lost an additional point as the fifth pitcher Atsuki Taneichi's check ball fell back.

In the end, Japan failed to turn the game around again in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the opportunity for runners on first and second bases with two outs was canceled, and the game ended without even scoring a comeback point at the bottom of the ninth inning.

Venezuela's starting pitcher Suarez was not good with three hits (two home runs) and five runs in two ⅔ innings, but the KBO League's Enmanuel de Heissus (30, Detroit Tigers), who took the mound as the third pitcher, pitched well with one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts in two ⅓ innings.

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*This content was translated by AI.