Team Japan routed Czechia in their round-robin finale at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The Asian side was poised to cruise past the European squad. Judging by the final score, it certainly seemed that way.
But upon closer inspection, the Japanese squad, which played without superstar Shohei Ohtani, struggled to get on the board.
It wasn’t until Japan erupted for a nine-run rally in the eighth inning that the game was finally out of reach.
Czechia stayed in the game for seven innings, getting 4.2 strong frames from Ondrej Satoria. The Czech starter surrendered six hits, fanning three. Satoria gave way to Michal Kovala, who kept Japan in check for about two innings.
But it was in the eighth when everything fell apart. With one out, Kenya Wakatsuki hit a double, with a throwing error by Czech right fielder William Escala, allowing Teruaki Sato to score. That mental faux pas seemingly opened the floodgates.
However, the biggest moment of the inning came when Munetaka Murakami launched a grand slam to blow the doors off the ballgame. The game was already 5-0 by that point. Murakami’s blast accentuated the disastrous inning for Czechia.
The Czech side made two pitching changes, with none of the relievers being able to stop the bleeding. By the third out, Japan had nearly invoked the early termination rule, falling one run short.
Czechia went down quietly in the top of the ninth, allowing Japan to secure its ticket to the knockout round.
Hiroto Takahashi pitched 4.2 innings for Japan, allowing two hits, walking one, and punching out five. But it was Yumeto Kanemaru who picked up the win, throwing two full innings, striking out five.
Japan Seals Ticket to Miami
With the win, Japan has now confirmed its ticket to the quarterfinals. They’ll take on their next opponent at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
Japan’s next opponent is still undetermined, as the remainder of the round-robin games will determine who advances. Thus far, the only other club confirmed for the next round is Korea. The Korean side beat Australia 7-2 on Monday night to clinch their pass to the quarterfinals. The Korean side finished in a three-way tie with a 2-2 mark. However, they captured the pass to the knockout stage by virtue of holding the tiebreaker.
Japan won Pool C with a 4-0 mark. That puts the Japanese side on track to face the runner-up in Pool D. That matchup could easily be the best of the quarterfinals, as Japan could face either the Dominican Republic or Venezuela. Both squads are 3-0 and will go head-to-head in the final match of Pool Play on Wednesday.
Time Off Will Come in Handy
Getting some time off will come in handy for Japan. They wrapped up their games in Tokyo on Tuesday and won’t play until Saturday in Miami. That extra time should give the Asian squad some much-needed rest for their starting pitchers to be at full strength.
Considering their next opponent will be one of Venezuela or the Dominican Republic, it will be all hands on deck for the biggest game thus far in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Japan Sails into Knockout Stage with Late-Inning Rally