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Japan downs USA to reach WBC championship game

Sun 22nd, March 2009

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Daisuke Matsuzaka was stellar again in World Baseball Classic play, as he helped defending champion Japan eliminate the United States with a 9-4 thrashing, and advance to the title game.

Japan, which won the WBC in 2006, moves on to play Korea in the championship game at Chavez Ravine on Monday. Japan and Korea, which knocked off Venezuela in the first semifinal on Saturday, have already played four times during the course of this tournament, with each team winning twice.

Matsuzaka, who was the MVP of the inaugural WBC in 2006, lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up just two runs on five hits and three walks, and struck out four.

Hiroyuki Nakajima had two doubles and drove in two runs for Japan. Kenji Johjima also knocked in a pair of runs in the win. Akinori Iwamura scored a run and stroked an RBI triple, while Munenori Kawasaki and Ichiro Suzuki drove in a run each.

United States starter Roy Oswalt lasted 3 2/3 frames and was roughed up for six runs -- four earned -- on six hits with a walk and a strikeout in defeat. Brian Roberts had a solo homer, while Jimmy Rollins went 4-for-4 with a triple, walked and stole a base. Mark DeRosa drove in a pair of runs, and David Wright accounted for the other run for Team USA.

Japan took command in the fourth frame with five runs.

Consecutive singles from Atsunori Inaba and Michihiro Ogasawara, followed by Kosuke Fukudome reaching on Roberts' fielding gaffe, tied the game at 2-2.

Johjima then had a sacrifice fly to right to give Japan the lead, and Iwamura kept the rally going with an RBI triple down the line in right field. Kawasaki then drove in Iwamura with a single to right and moved to second as Suzuki grounded out. Nakajima's RBI double made it 6-2 and chased Oswalt in favor of John Grabow, who got Norichika Aoki to ground out to kill the rally.

Ryan Braun slugged a one-out double off Takahiro Mahara in the eighth and Brian McCann followed with a walk. DeRosa then doubled to left, scoring the two runners, and moved to third as Aoki botched the relay throw. Pinch-hitter Evan Longoria went down swinging, though, and Roberts grounded out to end the threat and keep the US down by two.

Japan then responded with three runs in the eighth to kill any momentum the United States had. With Yasuyuki Kataoka on third and two outs, Kawasaki hit a slow roller to shortstop Derek Jeter off Joel Hanrahan. Jeter's throw to first pulled DeRosa off the bag and the runner was safe as Kataoka crossed home to make it 7-4.

"Everybody's disappointed," said Jeter. "We've been gone for three weeks and to get so close, yeah, there is a lot of disappointment."

Scot Shields then came on in relief and Kawasaki stole second before Suzuki smacked an RBI single to right. Nakajima followed with an RBI double as Japan assumed a 9-4 lead.

Yu Darvish came in for the ninth and yielded only a single to Rollins while otherwise shutting down USA.

Roberts led the game off with a homer to center field, giving USA an early 1-0 lead.

Inaba led off the home portion of the second with a walk, moved to third on Ogasawara's single to left and came around to score on a Johjima sacrifice fly to right, tying the game.

Rollins then had a two-out single in the third, stole second and made it 2-1 USA as Wright followed with a double to center.

"Regardless, we had a lot of fun," said Rollins. "Being the underdog, knowing that we were at somewhat of a disadvantage as far as having the time to prepare, but we knew what our job was and that was to go out there and play winning baseball."

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