World Baseball Classic comes to the wire

     In the electrifying conclusion to the second World Baseball Classic, Ichiro Suzuki led Japan to its second tournament championship 5-3 victory over South Korea Monday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. 

     Ichiro went four for six with a clutch two out, two RBI double in the 10th inning to break a 3-3 tie with Asian baseball rivals South Korea. Ichiro's hit came after Japanese reliever Yu Darvish blew a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning by surrendering two walks and a single before striking out all three outs in the inning.

     Darvish went into the bottom of the 10th with 5-3 lead and, after walking the leadoff man again, recorded two more strikeouts, the last being the final out of the game. Darvish's performance capped a night of absolute stellar pitching from both nations' pitching staffs. Hisashi Iwakuma pitched a four-hit, two run game into the eighth for Japan, recording six strikeouts with virtually unhitable breaking pitches. Korea's Jung Keun Bong went four innings and gave up only one run and six hits, keeping his tournament ERA under 1.00. Every pitcher in that made an appearance Monday night threw low to mid 90s fastballs augmented with sharp sliders, top-to-bottom curveballs, and the occasional change-up.

     But the real drama of the evening revolved around one man: Ichiro. Ichiro's hit in the top of the 10th not only solidified Japan as champions for its second WBC in a row but also showed the world why Ichiro is already considered a baseball legend. After having a mediocre tournament coming into Monday's game, Ichiro boosted his average from .220 to .280 with four hits and two game-winning RBIs.

     The World Baseball Classic is a very new tournament that begins in four different areas across the globe. Nations send their best professional players to compete, making this competition much more intense than the Olympic baseball competition that only permits amateur players to compete. Critics in the United States claim that the Classic disrupts Major League Baseball teams' spring training which takes place from late February to early April. I find that, despite the fact that many leave their MLB clubs to participate in the WBC and are not with their team for some time, this worldwide competition is a breath of fresh air in the baseball world. It is a joy to watch professional players from the Major Leagues serve their respective countries alongside unknown international talent in fierce competition for worldwide dominance.

     Monday night's conclusion to the long tournament is a perfect example of good baseball. The rivalry between Japan and Korea is as big in Asia as the Yankees/Red Sox or the Giants/Dodgers rivalries here in the states. These two scrappy teams met tonight in the final and battled down to the wire, coming to a tie in the ninth and prompting an extra inning. The pitching was outstanding from both teams and, though Japan dominated the hitting game with 15 hits to Korea's five, the game was a true nail-biter down to the last out. I hope the the World Baseball Classic gains momentum here in the United States as it has elsewhere in the world, as that this level of international competition serves the greater good of baseball and is a wonderful addition to the world of sports.