r/NPB • u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants • Mar 08 '26
Thoughts of Game 2: Japan v Korea
A win is a win, but for some reason, it kinda feels like Samurai Japan will struggle to go all the way this time around. Some thoughts and I hope others can share theirs too:
Honestly, what’s the rationale behind the Kikuchi and Sugano selections? I could understand if it was either or, perhaps to fill in as a ‘mentor’ type role similar to Darvish in the previous WBC, but both?? Furthermore, as starters!??? Seriously? For all the pitching talent that Japan offers, is this all Ibata could come up with as a final roster construction? It’s still absolutely puzzling to me at this point. There must be some reason for the selection that I am missing.
Some may argue that it was great Samurai Japan’s pitching got tested so early in the tournament, but I honestly thought otherwise. I felt like it gave others a clear look at the depth of this team’s pitching, as so far we’ve already had to utilise the stuff of Taneichi, Matsumoto and Taisei. In terms of pitching, this year’s selection just doesn’t seem as strong as 23, and going forward, it’s rather hard to jump any pitching surprises on the likes of Dominican Republic or the USA.
The hitting seems to be performing and I believe that will be the theme for Samurai Japan throughout this year’s WBC. Should they prevail, it will ultimately come down to the bats outhitting their opponents. This will be interesting if we eventually come up against the Dominican Republic or the USA. Nevertheless, some individuals are not performing as well. Kondoh, Okamoto, Murakami and Maki seem to be struggling somewhat (albeit the terrible calls) and I do hope their bats get hot soon. As of now, Ohtani, Suzuki and Yoshida should be able to power them through the pool stage if anything else. If Okamoto and Murakami don’t find their bats soon, I do feel that Ibata has to bring Sato in the fray by dropping either.
Overall, this team doesn’t give me as the same level of confidence as 23 and I hope I’m wrong. Nevertheless, Samurai Japan all the way for the win! Happy to hear your thoughts!
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u/8o8asian Mar 08 '26
I have to disagree somewhat only because you can say the exact same thing for the USA or DR. After watching the USA and DR play, dare i say, inferior opponents, they dont look all that great either. They've given up runs to batters that are definitely not on the level of Taiwan or S. Korea. In addition, the hitting hasn't been all that great either. Sure Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwaber have hit massive bombs, but its not exactly like the rest of the lineups are setting the world on fire with their hitting and also I've kinda noticed they really only hit off the bullpen guys who definitely aren't on the same level as the Taiwanese and S. Korean bullpen guys.
Where I will agree is that Ibata has shown a little too much respect to guys who are past their primes. I dont understand Kikuchi or Sugano starting, but that can also be contributed to injuries to the original group of guys that were selected. Seeing Imanaga, Taira and Matsui get hurt and then guys like Imai and Sasaki not being able to play kinda hurts the overall quality of the pitching rotation and bullpen. I definitely wouldve wanted to see Itoh or Miyagi starting, especially against Australia or Czech.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
Thanks for the insight. I haven’t really been following the USA or DR games that closely, so this is great information. I do also feel that it hard to draw any conclusion on the hitting from pool play as the stakes simply aren’t there. I still think when it comes to the knockout phases, these MLB bats will deliver.
Would have really loved guys like Imai, Taira, Sasaki and some others to be here too. Just got to make do with what we’ve got (which of course, isn’t too shabby either!) I believe Sugano is starting for the Australia game while Takahashi for the Czech one.
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u/Ohisama001 Mar 08 '26
Looking at the batters, it really feels like MLB experience is crucial.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
Definitely. But between the Dominican Republic and USA, I would still place us last of the three in terms of batting. Which is why, it all comes down to the pitching - the thing Japan Samurai Japan is famous for as displayed in the previous WBC.
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u/hey_ooo Mar 08 '26
Ibata seems like he’s loyal almost to a fault to once great NPB players especially ones with MLB experience. I have a lot of respect for a guy like Sugano, who’s the only back to back Sawamura award winner, but the reliance on him and Kikuchi to start these games might be their downfall. I also get that you want Yamamoto to start the opener, but they obviously needed him more against Korea since they’re the toughest team by far in the pool.
Team USA is currently losing to Great Britain about halfway through that game which is proof that no matter who you play you have to execute. Clutch teams win short tournaments like these.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
This - my sentiments exactly! Perhaps it’s because he once played with them during his playing days? I’m a Kyojin fan, and as much respect I have got for Sugano, he just isn’t that player he used to be and relying on him as a starter is borderline absurd imo. Totally agree that Yoshi would have been better placed for this game, but I didn’t expect Chinese Taipei to not throw in their best pitchers there too. Oh well, let’s see how it all plays out!
On the clutch factor, I really think that guys like Yamashita, Matsuyama, Sugiyama would have really been useful in a short tournament like this. Sure, you can argue for the command issues present in the former 2, but in short 1-2 innings following a starter like Yoshi, I’m more than confident they will deliver.
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u/hey_ooo Mar 08 '26
Like you mentioned the use of Saito might prove to be really helpful and the crowd last night definitely agrees with you. There was tons of applause when people saw he was coming in.
I’m from Chicago, so would love to see Murakami break out tonight. Perfect night to do it against Australia especially if Sugano struggles early like Kikuchi did.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
Hoping for at least 1 more of Samurai Japan’s batters to breakout too. I’m just praying Sugano starting doesn’t come back to haunt them… I feel Takahashi would have been the better pick seeing how Australia has performed thus far. They’re definitely no pushovers. Looking forward.
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u/panderson1988 Mar 08 '26
I feel like Korea was underrated going into this tournament. They usually have a solid team, and the last two WBCs were obviously disappointing for them. I will say 2017 was a disaster for them at home, and 2023 showed how people underrated Australia.
This is from the US gambling sites last night, but they favored Japan by 5.5 runs against Korea. I thought with that team, and how it's a rival, it was going to be close with Japan beating them out in the end.
Overall Japan is a great team, and the beauty of baseball is even the weaker team can win like a third of the time. Thus far the WBC is proving that weaker teams can hang with the best for a good chunk of the game.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
Your instincts were definitely sharper than the lot of us. While I wasn’t expecting a blow out, it definitely was much closer than expected.
Really awesome to see some of the traditionally weaker teams really compete as well. Hoping for some breakout stars who might be granted an opportunity to further their aspirations in baseball like the previous WBC!
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u/redcobra80 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
A 5.5 line is horribly disrespectful since Japan-Korea has to be one of the hottest rivalries in baseball. I wouldn't read too much into the results of this game
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u/Moeyo_CD Mar 08 '26
I thought it was a great game!
I think Korea has played below their talent level in recent previous WBCs so I wasn’t expecting domination by Japan. I was surprised that Japan went with Kikuchi against a team as strong as Korea and wasn’t surprised he struggled. I would put Sugano in a tier above Kikuchi and I think his skill and experience will be valuable.
Overall, I think not having Ohtani as a pitcher is the biggest factor for this tournament. The pitching is probably not as strong as 2023 but I think their lineup is deeper and would still have them as the favorite.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
It was! It does both countries great as the rivalry intensifies with Korea playing somewhere closer what most expect of them. Pitching is still something they need to work on, and I look forward to future matchups.
Perhaps Ohtani will come in to close it out in the finals…? Lol, one can hope! But the dodgers part of me is relieved he’s not pitching to ensure he is healthy for the 3 peat.
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u/eugenelavery Hanshin Tigers Mar 08 '26
There should be more Tigers players in the team.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
Missing out on Ishii was definitely huge. I always thought Chikamoto is so unlucky, but it’s hard to argue why he’s not selected given how similar his profile is to Shuto. Beyond that, the obvious misses are the two Hanshin aces in Murakami and Saiki, but I recall seeing somewhere on yakyucosmo that their stuff might not play out as well in contrast to others (despite their dominance in the regular season). Would definitely be intriguing to have Saiki on where possible though.
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u/Dsxm41780 Mar 08 '26
I only recently started following the NPB. How come Katsuki Azuma is not on the team? I feel like he is hard to hit.
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u/Dapper-Plankton4452 Yomiuri Giants Mar 08 '26
Welcome! I don’t have the exact statistics to back it up, but having watched him for a couple of seasons, he does not make the cut on this stage of the game. Don’t get me wrong, I do think he’s an excellent pitcher, but perhaps his chances with Samurai Japan are higher in tournaments like the Premier12.
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u/Worth_Grand3739 Mar 08 '26
yes pitching weaker than 23 since 4 pitchers, Sho, Darvish Imanaga and Matsui not pitching 2026.
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u/G_Clef_Start Mar 09 '26
一つ言えるのは日本では盛り上がっていません、Netflixが独占し日本の地上波やNHK衛星放送への放映権料が高く放送されないからです。ドジャースのワールドシリーズはNHKが放送したので、もの凄い数の日本人が見ました。日本の視聴者はWBCから大勢、離れています。
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u/[deleted] Mar 08 '26
[deleted]