Former Seibu Lion Wu Nien-ting kept Taiwan’s World Baseball Classic dream alive by throwing out the potential tying run from first base in the 10th inning in their 5-4 Pool C victory Sunday over South Korea at Tokyo Dome in front of a large supportive crowd.
In a game with drama writ large, Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien scored the decisive run as a pinch runner in his first action since a pitch fractured his hand Thursday against Australia. Wu’s defense then helped Taiwan improve to 2-2 and at least give the team a chance to qualify for the knockout round in Miami in case of a three-way tie for second.
Sadaharu Oh, who 20 years ago managed Japan to the first World Baseball Classic championship, said Saturday the tournament has matured to match the dreams he had for it at its birth in 2006.
Although starting as a blank canvas, the opening Tokyo round that year contained a game that has been an all-time favorite, a dead rubber between two teams already bound for the quarterfinal round in Anaheim that was anything but routine.
With the encouragement of an enthusiastic shit-stirring journalist named Tiger Ishikawa, Japan and Korea press conferences alike included more than a few antagonistic quotes.
