Samurai Japan completes sweep of Cuba

SAPPORO (Kyodo) — Samurai Japan improved to 2-0 under new manager Koji Yamamoto on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Cuba.

Stymied for six innings by Cuban right-hander Freddy Alvarez, Shota Dobayashi broke the ice in the eighth, when the Hiroshima Carp youngster tripled and came home on a sacrifice fly by Yomiuri Giants shortstop Hayato Sakamoto. Japan added another run, when hometown hero Yoshio Itoi of the Nippon Ham Fighters tripled and scored on a wild pitch the same inning at Sapporo Dome.

“I couldn’t help myself with that full swing at the first pitch,” said Dobayashi. “Sometimes you luck out with a big swing and get a triple over the center fielder’s head. I was really relieved it turned out that way. My image of the Cubans is that they throw a lot of heat, and I was determined not to let them throw one past me and I jumped on it.”

“Despite being nervous waiting to get into a game, I was well prepared and I was able to do something when I was handed a chance, so that was a good experience for me.”

Japan’s pitchers failed to equal the dominance they showed in a three-hit shutout in Fukuoka on Friday. But despite allowing nine hits, they issued no walks for the second straight game. Cuba and Japan will be grouped together in the first round of March’s World Baseball Classic in Fukuoka.

“These were good results for us, and a good way to end the season,” said Japan captain Shinnosuke Abe, who did not play against Cuba after being hurt in the Japan Series. “The Cubans haven’t even started their season. I expect they will be sharper next March.”

The sweep left the Cubans record at 2-3 on their preseason trip through Asia after three games in Taiwan.

“It has been an extremely valuable trip for us,” Cuba skipper Victor Mesa said. “Tonight’s issue was leaving seven men on base. That’s something we have to work on. We made a few mistakes on the mound but otherwise the pitchers did a good job.”

Cuba’s Yulieski Gourriel cut Japan’s lead in half in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out homer off the Seibu Lions’ Hideaki Wakui, Japan’s sixth pitcher of the game, but the Orix Buffaloes’ Takahiro Okada doubled and scored in the ninth for insurance.

DeNA BayStars closer Shun Yamaguchi allowed a one-out double in the ninth but struck out the last two batters to record the save.

Hirokazu Sawamura started for Japan and allowed a first-inning double but struck out four batters in two innings. The Giants right-hander used more sliders and forkballs than usual to oppress a group of hitters still in preseason form.

Yakult Swallows lefty Kyohei Muranaka came on in the third and retired the first four batters he faced before giving up a pair of singles in the fourth. With two outs, Giants closer Kentaro Nishimura took the mound and struck out slugging first baseman Jose Abreu.

Cuba applied some pressure in the fifth, when second baseman Jose Fernandez gave his team its first leadoff runner with a ground single. After a failed bunt and a single, Nishimura picked Fernandez off second and got out of the inning on a groundout.

Side-arm Softbank southpaw Masahiko Morifuku surrendered a leadoff single in the sixth, but a harmless fly to right, a strikeout and a groundout ended the inning.

After six scoreless innings from Alvarez, right-hander Ismel Jimenez came on in the seventh and issued a one-out walk. A sacrifice bunt gave Japan its first scoring chance since the second inning, but Pacific League batting champ Katsuya Kakunaka grounded out to end the inning.

The Cubans got their leadoff man on in the bottom of the seventh against Hiroshima Carp right-hander Kan Otake, and this time got a bunt down, but failed to bring him home.

Cuba’s 19-year-old lefty Darien Nunez struck out the Chunichi Dragons’ Yohei Oshima and was taken out. But Sakamoto hit an 0-2 pitch fly deep to right off Vladimir Garcia, and Dobayashi trotted home for the opening run.

After Gourriel accounted for Cuba’s first run of the series, Okada led off the ninth with a booming double and scored on a grounder after a walk and a sacrifice put men on second and third.

Second baseman Juan Torriente’s throw to the plate wasn’t in time as all runners were safe on the fielder’s choice.