Japanese fans don’t get to see Shohei Ohtani in person very often. They got an eyeful Friday in a sellout at the Tokyo Dome.
Ohtani hit a grand slam in the second inning as Japan hammered Taiwan 13-0 in Pool C at the World Baseball Classic. It was Japan’s first game of four in pool play.
The game was called after seven innings under the mercy rule, which is being used in the WBC. The game is called after five innings if a team leads by 15 runs or more or after seven if the lead is 10 or more.
After threatening in the first, with Ohtani doubling on the first pitch of the game but unable to score, Japan exploded for 10 runs in the second inning.
Japan, batting first as the designated visiting team, put the first three runners on base. Kenya Wakatsuki fouled out to the catcher, bringing up Ohtani for the dramatic slam to right field off starter Hao-Chun Cheng.
“I knew it was going to leave the park right away after I hit it,” Ohtani said of his grand slam. “It’s important to score first.”
Japan added six more runs in the inning, which lasted 28 minutes. Japan batted around, and Ohtani got his third hit of the game, a single, and fifth RBI of the inning.
And only two innings had been played.
“It was a good game and we got off to a good start, so I think it was all because of your support,” Ohtani told the crowd after the game as he spoke in Japanese. “I think the battles will continue, but if the fans and the team can come together and cheer, it will encourage us. So please support us.”
Japan scored three more in the third, this time off the third pitcher, Tzu-Chen Sha, to push the lead to 13-0.
Left in the shadows was Japan’s starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, last season’s World Series MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After long rests between innings, Yamamoto got into trouble in the third, walking two and loading the bases with the help of an error. He was replaced by Shoma Fujihira who struck out An-Ko Lin to end the threat.
Yamamoto struck out three, walked two, allowed no hits and was the winner. Cheng got the loss.
“This was our first game of the tournament, and to score the first run is always difficult,” Yamamoto said. “But Shohei hit a huge home run to give us the momentum. So I tip my cap to him.”
Ohtani led off the fourth and lined out on a leaping catch by first baseman Nien-Ting Wu. Ohtani needed a triple for a cycle, and the leaping catch might have prevented it.
Japan is the defending WBC champion and the favorite from Pool C to reach the quarterfinals. Japan is also a favorite to reach the final in Miami on March 17, perhaps against the United States.
Yoan Moncada and Yoelquis Guibert homered off Logan Allen in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as Cuba defeated Panama 3-0 to win its WBC opener for the first time since 2013.
Cuba, which lost the 2006 final to Japan and a 2023 semifinal to the U.S., is missing many top Cuban-born players, including Aroldis Chapman, Randy Arozarena and Luis Robert Jr.
Guibert went deep on a high 2-0 fastball in the second, and Moncada one inning later pulled a 3-1 sweeper at the bottom of the strike zone for his first home run off a left-hander since Sept. 28, 2023, off Arizona‘s Kyle Nelson.
Panama’s Johan Camargo had an RBI single in the seventh against Emmanuel Chapman, and with runners at the corners, Darien Núñez retired Christian Bethancourt on an inning-ending groundout.
Allen, a Florida native whose mother was born in Panama, allowed three runs and five hits in three innings for the win. Loser Livan Moinelo gave up two hits in 3⅔ scoreless innings.
Cuba did not have a baserunner after the fifth. Raidel Martinez got three straight outs for the save.
In Miami, Javier Sanoja of the Marlins homered in his home ballpark, Willson Contreras had a two-run single to highlight a four-run fifth, and Venezuela opened Pool D play with a 6-2 win over the Netherlands.
Sanoja, Contreras and Wilyer Abreu all had two hits for Venezuela, while Luis Arraez drove in two runs and Ronald Acuna Jr. scored twice.
Venezuela starter Ranger Suarez allowed three hits and one run in two innings.
Druw Jones — the son of Netherlands manager and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Andruw Jones — drove in both Netherlands runs, first with a tying double in the second and then a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Antwone Kelly started on the mound for the Netherlands, giving up four hits and two runs in three innings.
Both teams return to action Saturday, with Netherlands taking on Nicaragua and Venezuela meeting Israel.
Earlier Friday, Australia defeated Czechia 5-1 behind a three-run homer from Chicago White Sox infielder Curtis Mead to remain unbeaten in Pool C.
Mead’s homer in the third put Australia up 3-1 after the Czechs failed to convert a double play early in the inning that eventually gave Mead a chance to bat. Australia added two runs in the ninth, including a solo home run by Alex Hall.
The Czechs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly by Vojtech Mensik.
Josh Hendrickson was the winning pitcher, and Tomas Ondra got the loss.
Australia improved to 2-0 in Pool C, and the Czechs fell to 0-2. Australia reached the quarterfinals three years ago in the last WBC but lost to Cuba 4-3.
The Australians have several players with MLB teams including Mead. There’s also Travis Bazzana, the first pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft taken by the Cleveland Guardians.
On Saturday in Pool C, Taiwan faces Czechia and Japan plays South Korea.