Japan Wins 2009 World Baseball Classic

South Korea did not intentionally walk Suzuki, who batted with runners on second and third. Kim In-sik, the South Korean manager, said the team had signaled to pitcher Chang Yong Lim that he was supposed to pitch around Suzuki. If Suzuki did not bite at a bad pitch, Lim was supposed to walk him. But Lim apparently did not get those signs or did not obey them. “I don’t know why the pitcher tried to pitch directly to Ichiro,” said Kim.

After Suzuki moved to second on the throw home, he showed no emotion. He calmly lifted his hand to call a timeout. “I believe that Ichiro’s hit is something I’ll never forget,” said Tatsunori Hara, the Japanese manager. “It’s an image that will forever be imprinted in my mind.”

The game was tied, 1-1, until Japan went ahead in the seventh in a predictably simple fashion. Japan used a single, a stolen base, Suzuki’s bunt single and Hiroyuki Nakajima’s single to make it 2-1. Akinori added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to give Japan a 3-1 lead. The South Koreans nicked Japan right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma for a run in the eighth to cut their deficit to 3-2.

The Japanese were one out from winning in the ninth, but Yu Darvish, a starter who was asked to close, could not stifle South Korea. Darvish walked two batters to put himself in a dicey position, and Bum Ho Lee lashed a two-out single to left to make it 3-3.

But Suzuki, the player who was cheered more lustily than anyone on a raucous night, powered his team and pleased a baseball-obsessed country. Darvish was given a second opportunity to silence the South Koreans in the 10th, and he produced a scoreless inning. Darvish ended the game with a strikeout and notched the win, but it was Suzuki who saved it. Iwakuma, 27, MVP of his country’s Pacific League with 21 wins last season, pitched well through 7 2/3 innings, allowing only two runs and four hits.

“The tight defensive game was well-played and well-pitched,” wrote David Leon Moore of USA TODAY, “with several defensive gems and only four extra base hits – one of them a home run by Korea outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who hit 14 homers for the Cleveland Indians in 2008.”

Daisuke Matsuzaka was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for the second time after Japan beat Korea. Dice-K posted a 3-0 record with a 2.45 ERA in the tournament, winning all three of his starts, including his victory over the United States in the semifinal on Sunday. He tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits for the victory that put Japan in the final. Overall in both tournaments, Matsuzaka, pictured here, is 6-0 with a 1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 innings along with 23 strikeouts and eight walks.

The largely Asian-American crowd of 54,846 was the largest in WBC history. “There were more Korean fans than Japanese,” wrote Moore, “and they made noise nearly constantly, banging drums and thunder sticks.”

“The all-Asian championship reiterated that the rest of the world plays excellent baseball, too,” wrote Curry, “and was a credit to the two teams that play in a more disciplined way than the United States. Japan and South Korea feature pitchers who are not immune to throwing strikes and players who are smart and aggressive.”

Photographs by Matt Sayles, Associated Press, and Donald Miralle, Getty Images

And now it can’t be ignored. The United States is no longer the undisputed leader of the game that was invented on its own soil. Team USA finished sixth in the 2006 inaugural Classic and fourth this year, following a 9-4 loss to defending champion Japan on Sunday. Pictured below are Brian McCann (right) and Mark DeRosa watching their tournament days coming to an end.

Perhaps Team USA could learn a thing or two from the two finalists. The Asian teams trained harder and for longer in preparation for this tournament. They take infield practice before every game and both are fundamentally sound and do whatever it takes as a club to win a game.

The results have been impressive. Korea won the last Olympic gold baseball medal in 2008, with the U.S. earning the bronze, and marched past powerful Venezuela into the Classic final. The Japanese were so serious about defending their ’06 Classic title that they enlisted a sitting manager – Tatsunori Hara of the Yomiuri Giants to run the show this spring, and now the Samurai were back in the finals.

The Japanese win with just enough offense, solid defense and great pitching. They went into the final game with 1.57 staff ERA – 12 earned runs in eight games. The United States in contrast finished with a 5.99 ERA – 45 earned runs in eight games. Offensively, the U.S. had 12 homers and scored 50 runs. The Japanese had four homers, but they’ve scored only five fewer runs.

How do the Japanese do it? Their first run in the second inning on Monday was a case in point, fashioned on a leadoff walk, a hit-and-run single that moved the runner to third and a sacrifice fly. Really, it’s old-style National League baseball like the Cardinals played under Whitey Herzog in the 1980s, when they ran rampant on the base paths and created run after run.

“You know when you play Japan and Korea, they’re going to play fundamentally sound baseball,” said U.S. second baseman Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles who batted .438 (7-for-16) in the four games he played after joining the team as an injury replacement for Dustin Pedroia. As pictured here of Ichiro Suzuki of Japan laying down a bunt, Roberts said, “They’re going to do the little things, and you’re going to have to go out there and beat them. And so when it comes to that, there’s something for everyone to learn from.” “As Americans, we probably don’t do that at times,” continued Roberts. “I think people look at the money and their contracts and what pays in the States may not pay when you watch them play. Unfortunately, that’s become a reality in Major League Baseball and in our culture.”

No doubt, though, if the United States wants to get back in the game with the Japanese and Koreans, something has to change. Is it the training? Like the Asian teams, the U.S. has to get serious about attaining a more fundamentally sound approach regardless of the quality of players on the roster. There’s the old axiom in baseball: No one can give a good team extra outs. On Sunday, a fielding miscue by Roberts and throwing errors by third baseman David Wright and shortstop Derek Jeter gave Japan extra outs and three unearned runs.

“The Japanese and Korea are fundamentally sound,” said Jimmy Rollins, who hit .417 (10-for-24) in the tournament. “They took advantage of mistakes and didn’t worry about trying to drive the ball out of the ballpark. And when you put the ball in play, you can find some holes. They definitely did that. They play with passion.”

“We play with passion, but they just wear theirs on their sleeves,” Rollins said. “They do things right, and if there’s anything we can learn from what we’ve seen is to take advantage of another team’s mistakes.”

Photographs by Koji Sasahara and Reed Saxon, The Associated Press

Editorial by Don Weiskopf, Publisher, Baseball Play America:

Pre-Game Infield Practice and the Pepper Game Traditionally, Japanese teams take infield practice before every game. Major league teams have not taken pre-game infield practice for a couple of decades, when I took the picture below at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Like Asian teams have always done, the infield drill just before the game should be reinstated by every team. Likewise, the game of pepper, so valuable in fielding and conditioning, was banned many years ago. This pepper game scene that I photographed of Gary Lavelle and his Giants team mates should return as a pre-game warm-up, along with playing catch.

Photographs Don Weiskopf

“I grew up in Mainz, Germany, close to a housing area where lots of U.S. Army Officers lived, and I had lots of friends who were interested and one day they took me to a game and I loved it,” Wiedmaier said recently. “Shortly after that we started playing baseball amongst more friends, and we founded the Mainz Athletics Baseball Club in 1988 which has been growing for over 20 years now. It is a passion for me, and I think with a successful World Cup we will bring even more fans to the game.”

Wiedmaier, a left-handed pitching St. Louis Cardinals fan who idolized Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, takes great pride in the efforts of the German Federation, which under the leadership of federation head Martin Miller, has grown from less than 300 members to its current size, with most participants native Germans.

“The perception with baseball in Europe is that it’s all Americans living here who play the game, but the truth is German baseball is played by Germans and has a feel to it that is distinctly German,” he added. “That is what is great about baseball…it teaches you individual and team skills and is a sport that people can play at any age and it is very adaptable to the local culture and customs. It is an international game that is really just starting to grow in Europe, and we are very proud to be a part of that growth.”

Wiedmaier speaks with great passion about the potential of German baseball, and points to the success of the four or five German-born players currently playing in the minor leagues in the United States as example of that growth.

One of the brightest prospects is Kai Gronauer, who is a catcher in the New York Mets organization. The current minor leaguers hope to follow in the footsteps of Martin and Juergen Helmig, who played in the Baltimore Orioles organization in the 1950’s.

“We have a visionary leader in Martin Miller at the federation, and have seen with the early ticket sales in Regensburg (over 8,000 sold in the first few days) that the time may be right for German baseball to really grow,” added Wiedmaier. “Will we ever be as big as soccer? No. But with World Cup success, and hopefully more games on television, we know that baseball in Germany will be a success and teach all the values of the game to a new generation of players and fans.”

First round games will be held in Moscow, Prague, Sundyberg (Stockholm), Regensburg, Germany and Barcelona, Spain. The second round will be split between Italy and the Netherlands, while the final round will be in Italy on September 27.

The excitement for the Baseball World Cup is building,” said IBAF Secretary General John Ostermeyer, “and we are very excited with ticket sales. They indicate what we all expected, that Europe was ready for the biggest event IBAF has to offer, the Baseball World Cup.”

Ticket sales in Germany have been impressive, the initial site to go on sale, in Regensburg, Germany, sold over 8,000 tickets in the first 48 hours on sale, far exceeding initial projections. The IBAF expects all 46,000 available tickets to be sold well in advance of the event for Regensburg. Other sites across Europe will put tickets on sale in the coming months.

Regensburg is an ancient city on the banks of Europe’s most famous rivers, the Donnau and also plays host to current German Bundesliga champions, the Regensburg Legionnaire and is home to the famous Cathedral of Regensburg.

Regensburg hosts Pool E of the Baseball World Cup with national teams from Germany, USA, China and Venezuela. The tournament starts on Wednesday September 9th with the opener between Germany and China. Team USA faces Venezuela one day later. Two games each are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

The groups will contain four teams apiece (20 teams), and the other two teams – second round hosts Italy and Netherlands – will receive byes to the next round.

“Here in Europe,” said Ostermeyer, “Baseball is considered an American sport that is played elsewhere. With the effort, we are trying to make it also here an international sport that is played in America.”

“I think it went really well,” IBAF secretary general John Ostermeyer, as well as executive committee members Martin Miller and Sandra Monteiro; MLB senior vice president of international business operations Paul Archey; and Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson, serving as an international baseball ambassador.

Granderson said he would like to see baseball back in the Olympics because of the global appeal of the game. “The big thing that I got a chance to experience from going to Europe and South Africa and China is that the one mistake is that everyone thinks baseball is such an Americanized sport,” Granderson said. “But when you travel throughout the world, you see that baseball is being played by all ages, both male and female, and that there are different professional leagues in places like Italy and China. Aside from that, there are over 70 countries with 2 million boys and girls playing Little League Baseball throughout the world. I think it exemplifies what the Olympics are all about.”

The groups made their pitch to a 20-person panel from the IOC. The panel will make a recommendation next summer on which sports to add, but the final decision is left to the full IOC membership, which meets next October in Copenhagen. The IOC Congress will decide at the same meeting where the 2016 Olympics will be, with Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo as the finalists.

Baseball made its pitch first, in a 30-minute presentation that was followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session. Schiller said the presentation touched on baseball’s commitment to youth activities around the world, such as Little League Baseball, and the game’s relevance to news media. He also pointed out that the finalists for the 2016 Games are all set up to accommodate baseball.

Schiller said IOC members naturally asked about getting major league players involved if baseball is reinstated. It has been a continued question regarding baseball’s place in the Olympics, because the Olympics usually come in the middle of the major league season.

“The question is always going to come up,” Schiller said. “The league could allow players to participate, but it’s really still up to the club. We believe the tournament in 2016 will have the best players available.”

To further address those concerns, the IBAF delegation read a statement from Commissioner Bud Selig during the presentation, which said in part: “The 2016 Olympics will have the best representation of professional players in Olympic history.”

In the 1980s, Glasnost and the fall of the Iron Curtain, created an avenue for Western influences to build inroads across Europe, and Little League Baseball embraced that opportunity by fostering a respectful and appreciative relationship with countries across the continent.

The Confederation of European Baseball (CEB), the governing body for national baseball federations in Europe, through the tireless efforts of its President, Martin Miller, have forged a bond with Little League Baseball and Softball that will make the dream of native European children playing Little League a reality beginning with the first pitch of the 2008 season.

“We are delighted that the Confederation of European Baseball has chosen Little League as its exclusive youth baseball development program,” Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. “Patrick Wilson, Vice President of Operations for Little League International, and Beata Kaszuba, Director of the Europe, Middle East and African Region, have been working closely with Mr. Miller, and the CEB for nearly three years on this, and we are pleased to have reached an agreement that will benefit so many children.”

The number of players the agreement will bring to the Little League program is unclear as yet, but is thought to be thousands in the 39 countries of the CEB. Currently, Little League programs are operating in more than 20 European nations. Many of those, however, are primarily composed of the children of U.S. citizens living abroad.

“To reach this level of cooperation with the world’s largest youth sports organization is very significant to the future of baseball in Europe,” Mr. Miller said. “For our two organizations to develop parallel programs in Europe was not practical, and certainly would not be in the best interests of the children. It is better to combine forces for maximum output and success.”

The agreement opens Little League’s extensive array of training aids, clinics and seminars to players and volunteers throughout the continent. For the time being, it is limited to players 12 years old and below.

“Mr. Miller has shown an unwavering commitment to Little League’s ideals,” Mr. Wilson said. “His leadership and belief in the role our program can play in the lives of children throughout Europe are a testament to his convictions and speaks highly of the CEB’s commitment to providing an organized and well-run youth sports experience.”

“We are looking forward to using the knowledge base and background of Little League,” Mr. Miller said. “The Little League clinics for players, coaches, umpires and organizers will be of great help to CEB member countries and the European children living in them.” Mr. Miller, a resident of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (located about 100 kilometers south of Munich), visited the U.S. to see Little Leaguers in action. He and his family were guests of Little League International at the 2005 Little League Baseball World Series, and he threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the first international game of the tournament between teams from Guam and Russia.

A month later, Mr. Wilson visited Munich for meetings with Mr. Miller and other CEB officials from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. In February 2006, Mr. Wilson traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, to make a formal presentation to CEB members. One day later, the CEB executive committee voted to approve the move, and the CEB signed a letter of intent with Little League International to organize, and eventually charter, Little League programs in each CEB country.