TOKYO – Sho Nakata’s 2-run single in the top of the 11th inning lifted No. 1 Japan over No. 9 Netherlands, 8-6, before a sold-out crowd of 44,326 at the Tokyo Dome.
The extra-inning thriller generated a buzz on social media, with the official hashtag, #WBC2017, and several game-related topics registering top volumes on Twitter in Japan.
Nakata, the Nippon-Ham Fighters star, also had a 3-run home run in the top of the 3rd inning that put Japan ahead 3-1.
Netherlands fired back in the bottom of the 3rd when NPB single-season home run king Wladimir Balentien blasted a 2-run home run to tie game, 3-3.
Netherlands’ Jonathan Schoop (Baltimore Orioles – MLB) had two hits, including a solo home run in the 2nd inning and an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th to even the score at 6-6 and force extra innings.
In the 2nd Round in Tokyo, Japan and Israel are 1-0, while Cuba and Netherlands are 0-1.
