Japan plates 2 in ninth, ousts Mexico in World Baseball Classic

MIAMI — It was Munetaka Murakami’s turn.

Murakami, the star Japanese third baseman who holds Japan’s home run record and is clinching the Triple Crown, struck out in the first three at-bats of the World Baseball Classic semifinals on Monday night. However, he found success where it mattered most, and in the ninth inning he hit a two-run double at a packed Loan Depot his park to give Japan a win over Mexico in his 6–5 walk-off game.

Japan, who won the first two World Baseball Classics in 2006 and 2009, will face reigning champions Team USA in Tuesday night’s finale.

Japan fell behind Mexico early on when 21-year-old pitching sensation Loki Sasaki hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning leaving a splitter to Luis Urias. The Japanese hitter couldn’t muster much offense against his Los Angeles Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval, who allowed only a third baseman in his four innings of the first. However, the Japanese offensive began to move towards the end.

In Jojo Romero’s seventh off, Masataka Yoshida hit a three-run homer off a concrete beam behind the right-field foul pole to tie the score at three. Mexico regained the lead in the top of the eighth with RBI hits by Alex Verdugo and Isaac Paredes, but Japan added a run in the second half to turn the game around in the ninth against Giovanni Gallegos.

Shohei Ohtani led the gap down right-center with a double, showing rare emotion as he reached second base and signaled for the dugout. Yoshida grounded and Murakami hit a 94 mph fastball deep in midfield to score two runs and send Japan back to the championship.

It was the ninth walk-off hit in World Baseball Classic history and the first walk-off hit in the semifinals.