Japan plates 2 in ninth, ousts Mexico in World Baseball Classic
MIAMI — Munetaka Murakami, a Japanese Triple Crown winner who, at 23, is already among the best hitters in the world, thought about bunting.
It was the ninth inning, two runners occupied first and second base with nobody out, and Japan trailed Mexico by a run in the World Baseball Classic semifinal, the type of moment that yearns for greatness. But Murakami didn’t feel like himself. He had begun this tournament with four hits in 21 at-bats, striking out 11 times, including during his first three plate appearances Monday night. And so he pondered the possibility of simply moving the winning run into scoring position, allowing someone else his moment.
“Bunting kind of crossed my mind,” Murakami said through an interpreter, “but [Japanese manager Hideki] Kuriyama told me that I just have to hit.”
It was the best advice he could get.
Murakami got a 94 mph, down-the-middle fastball from Team Mexico closer Giovanny Gallegos and sent the offering 400 feet to straightaway center field, a scorching line drive that bounced off the top of the fence and allowed both runners to motor home. Murakami’s long-awaited moment had highlighted another intense, back-and-forth contest in this World Baseball Classic, handing Japan the 6-5 walk-off victory that sent it into a championship showdown against Team USA.
Lars Nootbaar, bouncing in front of home plate before the winning run could score, called it “an out-of-body experience.”
“The best,” Masataka Yoshida said through an interpreter. “Epic.”
Monday’s semifinal was only the latest in a string of intense games in front of raucous sold-out crowds at multiple venues over these past couple of weeks, right up there with the recent wild swings of Mexico’s upset over Puerto Rico on Friday and Team USA’s grand-slam-fueled victory over Venezuela on Saturday. This year’s World Baseball Classic has morphed into such a thrilling tournament that it has its participants contemplating the bigger picture — even in defeat, as…
