The knockout stage is set for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Baseball Tournament, as the six-game opening round closed with two games on Saturday at Yokohama Stadium.
World No. 1 Japan defeated No. 5 Mexico, 7-4, Saturday afternoon to advance directly into the quarterfinal as the number one seed in Group A
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Designated hitter Tetsuto Yamada went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.
"Today, the pitches I saw were like the videos I studied," commented Yamada. "I feel at the top level in my physical condition to swing my bat really, really well, so I can feel that I've been doing well at the Games so far."
Shortstop Hayato Sakamoto also had a two-hit game and added a solo home run.
Masato Morishita, the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Rookie of the Year in 2020, earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings of work.
"I have experience (with) international games in tournaments in high school and college. I believe those were really good experiences for me as a player," commented Morishita. "However, this was my first experience with the top National Team, so yes, the level of nervousness was definitely different from anything before, and the level of hitters I faced was definitely higher than any I have seen before. So I feel like a new player going against those hitters today."
Japan's manager Atsunori Inaba said: "I am delighted about the result. I'm proud of finishing on top of this Group A and winning two in a row."
Mexico got on the scoreboard first, but in the end, they were outhit (10-7). Left fielder Joey Meneses went 3-for-4, with a home run and three RBIs.
“Personally, I was very pleased just to connect with the ball," commented Meneses. "Of course, it is a shame when you do that and still don’t get the win."
Mexico's manager Benji Gil added: "It's definitely got more difficult, more complicated for us. We still have a path to that medal round that is within our reach. We definitely need to make some changes for tomorrow. Tomorrow we want to go out there and give our best as individuals and as a team and get that win."
World No. 4 United States beat No. 3 Korea, 4-1, Saturday night to finish on top of Group B undefeated, setting up a quarterfinal showdown with top-ranked No. 1 Japan.
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"Triston Casas got us the lead with a big swing," said USA manager Mike Scioscia. "Their starter had kept us off-balance, mixing speed."
Casas homered in the bottom of the second off starter Young-pyo Ko with a runner on. The US were trailing 1-0. He credited the team effort and answered questions about a possible promotion to the Big Leagues.
"I haven't talked with the Boston Red Sox front office. Right now I'm focused on the next game against Japan."
Ko credited USA hitters for their success: "I was feeling very good. I had analysed their hitters, and I was having success throwing a lot of changeups. I regret allowing the home runs, but I believe you need to credit the hitters."
Ko's game was over after he allowed two two-out hits, including a solo home run by Nick Allen, in the bottom of the fifth.
"Ko is my ace," said Korea manager Kyung-moon Kim. "He performed well. He just missed the location of two pitches. We also had some excellent contacts, but I believe their pitchers were too much for us today."
Nick Martinez earned the win going five innings and allowing only one run.
"I think it was a great team win," said Martinez. "They got to me in the first, but I knew my guys were going to come around for me, as long as I stayed aggressive and I followed our game plan."
Martinez, who plays in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), is familiar with Korean baseball.
"I had the chance to watch a lot of (Korea Baseball Organization) KBO games on TV."
The US bullpen allowed only one hit. Korea's veteran catcher Euiji Yang hit an RBI double off David Robertson in the top of the night. Back up third baseman Jack Lopez got the third out to first after brilliantly fielding a hard grounder by Kyoung-min Hur.
"We are playing great defence," Scioscia said, on a final note. "Tonight we were able to shrink the field."
