U.S. beats Japan 2-1 in WBC semifinal

Pretty good game. USA finally gets to the final and I don't have to listen to anything from the people here. Drinks on me tonight!

Congratulations Team USA on reaching the final. It will be an interesting All-American match-up with Puerto Rico.

I expect the U.S. team to take the title. Japan, meanwhile, has to wait until 2021 for another shot at winning the WBC.

Guess the final won't be broadcast here. At least this time they weren't announcing the final game winning match Japan line-up like they were when they lost the last baseball event for the gold-medal match. Will they hold their own separate ceremony this time if they beat Holland for third? or will it be a quiet, non-media covered funeral procession back home? At least their coach was pretty humble about the mistakes made.

I could only watch part of the game before anyone had scored, but it was pretty intense. I can only imagine watching the rest -- and I wish I could have. Errors and rain aside, it sounds like it was a great game.

Wow. I didnt realise this WBC went straight to a championship round in LA with only 3 knockout games. I much preferred the old format with a second round of group games plus knockout games in the states. So this year teams like Israel and Cuba who did well dont get to the host country at all, and the Netherlands and Japan only get to play once in the host country.

this tournament is seriously flawed in so many ways. dont really place a lot of value in it.

“It’s finally here,” Sugano said. “Tomorrow, for sure we’ll win and advance to the final, that’s how I feel.”

Why do many Japanese athletes shoot themselves in the foot like this? Bulletin board material.

The Major League scouts got to see some really good Japanese pitching. Bet we'll see some of them in the Majors down the road. 'Twas a pitchers' duel all the way. Next up: power hitting vs. power hitting in the U.S. vs. Puerto Rico. Should be a good game.

Japan's stubborn insistence on unnecessary sacrifice bunting came back to doom them. The decision to bunt in the first inning (lead off hitter on 1st, 0 outs) was annoying but typical. The decision to repeat it in the bottom of the 8th inning ruined their best chance of tying the game up. Having Yamada sac bunt and give away a free out??? Come on. Terrible managing. Kokubo earned Japan's loss.

So this year teams like Israel and Cuba who did well dont get to the host country at all

Israel and Cuba didn't really do that well. In the first round, maybe, but after that they were ordinary. Especially Cuba; they must have been disappointed that they didn't get out of the second round in Tokyo.

Except for 1 game against Puerto Rico (who they'll face in the Final), the US starting pitching has been pretty good:

vs. Colombia - SP Archer - 4 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Earned Run

vs. Dominican Rep. - SP Stroman - 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER

vs. Canada - SP Duffy - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER

vs. Venezuela - SP Smyly - 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER (plus 1 unearned)

vs. Puerto Rico - SP Stroman - 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER

vs. Dominican Rep. - SP Duffy - 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER (plus 1 unearned)

vs. Japan - SP Roark - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER

Except for the Puerto Rico game, they've only given up 1 ER in the 6 other games. So their starting pitchers have been keeping them in games and giving their batters a chance to take a lead.

TokyoTigersDome: " I didnt realise this WBC went straight to a championship round in LA with only 3 knockout games... So this year teams like Israel and Cuba who did well dont get to the host country at all"

Bring on the excuses! And yet, when you point out that when Japan won the inaugural WBC despite the fact that Korea only lost once and Japan had already lost twice, you have no problems with the bizarre format at all.

stickman: "this tournament is seriously flawed in so many ways. dont really place a lot of value in it."

Precisely! It was then, and it is now. At least with Japan losing today the people who were a week ago saying this is the most important baseball tournament in the world and the team that wins are the world champions are suddenly looking at it from a different angle; as with when Japan lost the other of the five or six new tournaments (exaggeration... I think there are only four), that one was no longer the most important.

Great analysis TOW. Japan were far too conservative and their negative tactics cost them the game. Felt like they were playing to not lose rather than to win.

The Major League scouts got to see some really good Japanese pitching. Bet we'll see some of them in the Majors down the road.

The scouts know all of these pitchers already they do not need the WBC to see them. Look for Hirano from Orix to make the jump to MLB after this season

So this year teams like Israel and Cuba who did well dont get to the host country at all, and the Netherlands and Japan only get to play once in the host country.

Americans comprised nearly all of Israel's roster so they came home anyway. It was no more an Israeli team than the "Greek" one that played at the 2004 Olympics.

As far as Cuba goes, not making the championship round made it more difficult for good players to defect to the U.S. The talent exodus has made Cuban baseball weaker and gave Japan another less talented opponent to play in the first two rounds at home.

Japan sees the WBC as a true world championship. Americans, in general, do not. If they care at all, it is viewed as a mildly interesting preseason tournament that also takes place while our incredibly popular NCAA basketball tournament is being held, and the NBA and NHL seasons near postseason play.

It's just not a big deal here. For example, Rays pitcher Chris Archer decided to go back to his team in spring training to get ready for his Opening Day start, rather than pitch in the WBC championship round. Max Scherzer was going to pitch in the WBC, but got hurt. But other elite talents like Harper, Kershaw and Trout were not interested.

I want the U.S. team to win today. The real seasons for MLB and NPB start soon. And then we don't have to hear about the WBC for four years.

Finally I don't have to listen to "fans" who repeat the morning TV spin about how Japan has the best "team" in baseball. Next week they'll be talking about table tennis or ice skating.

Bring on the excuses! And yet, when you point out that when Japan won the inaugural WBC despite the fact that Korea only lost once and Japan had already lost twice, you have no problems with the bizarre format at all.

Who is excusing anything? I'm not Japanese either. The US beat Japan. This tournament format is not as exciting as having a proper tournament at major league venues in the US like previously, instead of just 3 games. Who said anything about excuses for the US beating Japan? Oh right, hold on a minute. Here comes the constant line about Korea and Japan blah, blah...

The US have finally brought a decent majors squad to the WBC, which could have been even better with missing allstars. And it shows when they beat a very decent Japanese team. Some people here however would rather talk about Korea v Japan.

Bring on the excuses! And yet, when you point out that when Japan won the inaugural WBC despite the fact that Korea only lost once and Japan had already lost twice, you have no problems with the bizarre format at all.

Actually in that one, one of Japan's losses was when the US robbed them, so it was kind of justice that they won in the end.

what really cost Japan were those two errors. that's all. it doesn;t make sense to me to have a team win 6 games then travel half way around the world, lose one game and come home. it should have been at least a best two-out-fhree in the semifinals and then get rid of some of those meaningless first round games with China and Pakistan.