28/07/2021 - 07/08/2021

 

Hosted by:   JPN

Baseball Olympic Games 2020 - Official Payoff

Yamada, Sakamoto homer as Japan tops Mexico 7-4, wins Group A undefeated

Yamada, Sakamoto homer as Japan tops Mexico 7-4, wins Group A undefeated
31/07/2021
In addition to Yamada and Sakamoto's prowess with the bat, pitcher Masato Morichita allowed five hits and two runs in five innings, while striking out three.

Tetsuto Yamada produced four of Japan’s seven runs with a homer, a single and a walk, while Hayato Sakamoto added a solo shot in the seventh to help Japan beat Mexico in the final game of Group A by a score of 7-4. Japan won their group undefeated and will play the winner of Group B on Monday, at 7 p.m. JST.

Masato Morishita, 2020 Nippon Professional Baseball [NPB] Central League Rookie of the Year and member of the U-18 Japanese silver-medal winning team at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2015 in Osaka, started the second game for Japan and was credited with the win. The right-hander allowed five hits and two runs in five innings, while striking out three.

In the bottom of the first, Mexican left fielder Joey Meneses delivered an RBI single to center field to plate Isaac Rodriguez from second base. Rodriguez led off for Mexico with an opposite field single. It was Mexico’s first-ever run in an Olympic baseball event.

The top of the second saw Japan tie the game after hitting three singles. With runners on first and second, catcher Takuya Kai connected a two-out RBI single up the middle to level the game 1-1.

One inning later, Hayato Sakamoto hit a bullet to left field to open Japan’s third at bat with a stand-up double and moments later, with runners in the corners, scored on a soft grounder to Juan Oramas’ hands that the Mexican pitcher couldn’t control, giving Japan their first lead of the game.

Oramas, 2020/21 Mexican Pacific Winter League Pitcher of the Year, left the game after three innings of work, giving up 4 hits and 2 runs, with 3 strikeouts and lost the game. In the fourth, Edgar Arredondo served up a three-run homer to Yamada, a line-drive shot that barely made it over the outfield fence to make it 5-1.

Mexico’s second run was scored in the home half of the fourth. Sebastian Elizalde and Meneses hit back to back singles to put runners in the corners and no outs, but clean up hitter Adrian Gonzalez hit for a 4-6-1 double play, plating Elizalde but killing a potential rally for the Mexican squad.

In the top of the seventh, Hayato Sakamoto slapped an inside pitch and sent it over the left field fence for a solo shot off Mexican left hander Manuel Bañuelos, who had just replaced Cesar Vargas on the hill. Japan added one more in the top of the eighth on a two-out RBI single by Yamada. Samurai Japan’s leadoff hitter tallied 4 RBI in the game, with a stolen base and a walk. 

In Mexico’s eighth, Meneses homered to left field with one on board to close the gap to three runs, 7-4. Meneses went 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Manager Atsunori Inaba handed the ball again to Ryoji Kuribayashi to pitch the ninth, after allowing one run in the Olympics opener against Dominican Republic on Wednesday. But today the Hiroshima Toyo Carp pitcher tossed a perfect inning with one strikeout to earn the save.

Japan finishes as Group A’s first place and will play the winner of Korea and USA on Monday at 7 p.m. JST. 

Mexico finished the group stage as third place and will face Israel tomorrow at noon JST in an elimination game.