<img alt="South Korea v Japan: Group B - WBSC Premier12" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fJxVGk891184irNN67w7wx7eh6E=/0x0:3263x2175/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73727303/2184997605.0.jpg">
Photo by Clicks Images/Getty Images
Korea trailed 6-0, but rattled off nine straight runs to stay alive in Group B While current and former Braves have had their impact throughout the WBSC Premier12 tournament, Saturday was a quiet one for the organization as with the end of Group A play there are few former Braves left kicking around. Drake Baldwin still will have a chance to contribute in the super round as the United States advanced, but for now we focus on an exciting trio of games capped by a wild comeback. Former Braves farmhand Steve Kent did pop up for Australia though, pitching 1 2⁄3 of scoreless, hitless relief.
SCOREBOARD
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Player of the DayArismendy Alcantara, Dominican Republic3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Arismendy Alcantara had his fingerprints all over the game for the Dominican Republic, accounting for four of the tournament-high six runs scored by the Dominican. His two-run home run in the fourth inning helped break the game wide open, and just an inning later he came back and did it again with a solo home run. He was the clear offensive leader in the Dominican Republic’s early run scoring efforts as they opened a 6-0 lead against South Korea.
Pitcher of the Day: Franklyn Kilome, Dominican Republic5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Kilome was untouchable in his start for the Dominican Republic, carving through the Korean lineup like butter as they had seemingly no chance against him. Kilome carried perfection into the fifth inning, retiring the first 14 batters he faced, before they finally broke through with a single. Kilome immediately turned around and got the final out of the inning, completing five-inning scoreless, one-hit masterpiece. Kilome did all of this on only 57 pitches, setting his team up to potentially get an important win.
AUSTRALIA 3 — 4 CUBA
box score | replay
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PLAYERS OF THE GAMEYadir Drake, CUB: 2-2, HR, 3 RBIRobbie Glendinning, AUS: 2-3, HRAndy Vargas, CUB: 3.1 IP, 1 R, 5 K
Cuba desperately needed a win to retain any hope of staying alive in Group B, especially headed into consecutive matchups against the two teams at the top of the bracket. Australia, the only team besides those two to only have one loss, came in best positioned to make a run at knocking one of those two out of the Super Round. Both teams came out in this game with early fireworks. Travis Bazzana’s jam shot to second base was an easy first out, but Aaron Whitefield ripped one through the middle of the infield for a base hit to kick off a rally for Australia. Robbie Glendinning, whose huge day was pivotal in Australia’s offensive attack, followed with another base hit, and Rixon Wingrove broke the seal, rolling one through the infield to score Whitefield to give Australia an early lead. Cuban starter Dario Sarduy did get a strikeout for the second out, but he failed to get through the first inning. Darryl George muscled a flare single into center field, scoring Glendinning and stretching the Aussie lead up to 2-0. Cuba was forced to turn to Andy Vargas out of the bullpen, a quick decision that would potentially save their chances in the tournament.
The good thing for Cuba is that with them having a chance to face the top two teams in the bracket they have complete control over their own destiny even with those two opening losses. Cuba wouldn’t take a third lying down, and Roel Santos got the bottom of the inning started with a quick base hit to start a Cuban rally. Yadir Drake, Cuba’s answer to Glendinning’s fine afternoon, lashed the first pitch he saw into left field for a base hit, and suddenly Cuba was looking at the potential of a massive inning to answer Australia’s. Yoelkis Gilbert delivered the scoring hit, a single into right field that chased home Santos, but Cuba failed to fully take advantage and weren’t able to tie the game in the first inning. Alfredo Despaigne struck out, and Ariel Martinez smacked one up the middle but right at Bazzana who calmly stepped on second and threw to first for an inning-ending double play. Australia had narrowly avoided disaster, but they needed to keep adding on runs.
This is where Australia just couldn’t keep up in the game. After four hits in the first inning they managed only four the rest of the game, and Andy Vargas was a key reason for that. Vargas was shaky in the second inning after getting two quick outs, loading the bases on a hit, walk and hit batter, but Wingrove couldn’t come through in his second look at an RBI opportunity and Australia came away empty-handed. The third and fourth were much cleaner for Vargas, and his offense would support him with a big third inning. After two innings of Tim Atherton Australia stayed with the plan, running out the second of the list of arms they would use to try and cover nine innings, this time bringing in lefty Blake Townsend against the nine hitter and then top of the order. Townsend got Jean Harvin to roll one weakly down the third base line, but that forced George at third to make a tough bare-handed play, and he skipped a throw to first base that Wingrove failed to come up with. This key error started a quick barrage from Cuba, with Roel Santos executing a perfect drag bunt for the second hit. Townsend was now in major trouble, and he dug deeper by falling behind 2-0 to Yadir Drake. The 2-0 pitch was a slider left middle-middle, and Drake annihilated the ball, watching to make sure he kept it inside the left field foul poul, and celebrating a three-run home run that gave Cuba the lead in a flash.
️ "It stays fair and it's gone!" Yadir Drake's dinger puts Cuba in front.#Premier12 || @Premier12 pic.twitter.com/I3XdGTsd4d— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Vargas kept plugging away and getting outs from the Aussie lineup, but finally the well ran dry in the fifth inning. Glendinning left his mark on the game to lead off — a moonshot off of an inside fastball for a solo home run — and the lead was quickly sliced in half. Vargas got an out but then hit Tim Kennelly, a pitch which ended his day. Frank Alvarez was brought in to reliever Vargas, and early on his control was not working well. Alvarez bounced an 0-2 pitch to Darryl George, and when the ball popped up out of catcher Rafael Vinales’s view Kennelly broke for second to try to get into scoring position. The ball bounced perfectly for Vinales right in front of his feet, and Vinales alertly picked it up and made a gorgeous throw to second base that caught Kennelly for the second out. George would reach on a walk, but that out at second ended a potential rally.
Both bullpens ended the game on strong runs. After that poor third inning from Townsend the Australian staff covered the next 5 2⁄3 innings scoreless, though the Cubans had runners on base in each inning. On the other hand, the Cuban relievers past Vargas combined to allow just one hit across the next four inning, though Australia would make their bid to tie the game. Three Cuban pitchers combined to walk the bases loaded in the seventh inning, but Australia couldn’t find the big two-out hit. Alex Hall hit a rocket off of Leodan Reyes, but sprayed it right at second baseman Yadir Mujica to allow Cuba’s coaching staff an exhalation of relief. The rest of the way was fairly routine for Cuba’s relievers, Raidel Martinez pitching a perfect ninth inning with a couple of strikeouts to close out Cuba’s first win of the tournament.
JAPAN 3 — 1 CHINESE TAIPEI
box score | replay
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PLAYERS OF THE GAMEHiroto Saiki, JPN: 5.2 IP, 0 R, 5 KSosuke Genda, JPN: 1-3, HRChieh-Hsien Chen: 2-4
Japan keeps steam-rolling through this tournament, the dominance of their pitching staff overwhelming so far in Group B. Taiwan has struggled offensively in all three games, a six run inning in game one notwithstanding, and Japan’s ability to shut them down created a razor thin margin for error in what has been the biggest matchup so far in the tournament. Taiwan’s early mistake — a leadoff error that allowed the first batter of the game to reach — all but erased that margin as Shota Morishita’s sacrifice fly would bring home the runner to give Japan an early lead. Hiroto Saiki then strolled out to the mound to go to work, and that one run was about all they would need.
Hiroto Saiki with the strikeout for Samurai Japan, keeping the zero on the board at the Taipei Dome#Premier12 || @Premier12 | @samuraijapan_pr pic.twitter.com/DIywqrpjL6— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Saiki was unquestionably brilliant. While Taiwan scratched together a hit here and there his dominance ensured they couldn’t rally. He commanded his pitches well and carved through the lineup with ease, only allowing two baserunners across the first four innings of the game. His control finally broke a bit in the fifth inning when he issued a leadoff walk, but he backed that up with a double play ball that erased the threat, and once again had his shut down inning. Japan rode Saiki as far as he would take them, the Japanese offense opening up a 3-1 lead after four innings, then when Saiki finally faltered a bit in the sixth inning made a quick switch to an equally dominant bullpen. Saiki had allowed a walk and then a sharp grounder from Chieh-Hsien Chen brought the tying run to the plate, forcing Japan to turn to Shota Suzuki. Suzuki did his job, getting a weak roller over to short, and the threat ended as quickly as it began.
That got out in a hurry! Solo home run for Sosuke Genda to give Japan a 3-0 lead in the 4th inning.#Premier12 || @Premier12 | @samuraijapan_pr pic.twitter.com/aSMZ4U6KiW— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Japan’s offense wasn’t satisfied with the early run they had given Saiki, and Taiwan’s Po-Ching Chen just didn’t have a great day on the mound. While Chen would limit damage he never had a great feel for his location, and the bases stayed busy throughout his time on the mound. He walked Shogo Sakakura to lead off the third inning, and though he would get two outs he couldn’t quite escape. A blast to left field from Ryosuke Tatsumi chased Chen-Wei Chen back to the wall, but he couldn’t quite make it, the ball caroming off of the wall and allowing Sakakura to score the second run of the game. Japan’s third run was a bit less dramatic. Sosuke Genda got an inside fastball and turned on it with a quickness, blasting a solo home run into left field that ended the day for Chen. Japan had a chance to blow the game open in the fourth inning when reliever En-Sih Huang allowed two straight hits to kick off his stint on the mound, but Huang got a ground out and a routine fly out to left to keep Taiwan’s hopes alive for the final five innings. Japan’s bullpen was simply too dominant. Taiwan notched just one hit and no walks after Saiki departed, though their one hit did come in the biggest way. Pei-Fong Dai ripped a middle-middle fastball over the right field wall, the solo home run reinvigorating the host nation’s crowd. That would be the last gasp. Koki Kitayama pitched a clean eighth and Taisei Ota a perfect ninth to close out a key win that has all but guaranteed Japan their expected spot in the next round.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 6 — KOREA 9
box score | replay
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PLAYERS OF THE GAMEArismendy Alcantara, DOM: 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBIFranklyn Kilome, DOM: 5 IP, 0 R, 5 KSeonghan Park, KOR: 1-3, 3B, 2 RBI
The Dominican Republic and Korea came into this game with their backs against the wall, each needing a win to retain serious hope of a berth in the Super Round. The game would swing quickly in the favor of the Dominican Republic, who took a huge lead behind the phenomenal work of Franklyn Kilome and their offense. It looked like they may have a chance to break the game open right out of the gates, the first two batters of the game each getting singles, but the Dominicans failed to bring home any of their runners, a critical strikeout of Andretty Cordero the biggest play of the inning, and they would have to wait just a bit before opening up a lead.
It didn’t seem like it would matter much at all how long they waited, as starter Franklyn Kilome had an absurd game. From the first pitch he was locked in on the mound, and the Korean lineup had no answer as Kilome maneuvered through a 1-2-3 first inning. That would be the recurring line for Kilome. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, and Kilome had breezed through four innings, perfect, while his hitters had a chance to blow the game wide open. Arismendy Alcantara opened things up in the second inning with a base hit, and two consecutive walks had the Dominican Republic in position to take a commanding lead with the bases loaded and no outs. A double play ball would mostly erase those chances, scoring Alcantara but ultimately being the first play in what was a disappointing result for the inning. The DR had a 1-0 early lead, and Kilome seemed up to the challenge of defending that, but the Dominican Republic wanted more and could have had more. Finally the fourth inning rolled around the Dominican Republic came out in search of blood, Alcantara delivering the back-breaking blow for Korean starter Chan Kyu Im. Im delivered a slow curveball right over the heart of the plate, and Alcantara dropped his bat head to it, driving a deep fly ball to right center field that would carry for a two-run home run. Im’s day was done, but the Dominican Republic’s wasn’t, and neither was Alcantara’s.
Big swing! ⚾ Arismendy Alcántara rockets one to deep right-centre, bringing Rainer Núñez home for two runs! #Premier12 || @Premier12 | @FedobeRD pic.twitter.com/TWhSHjyVTb— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
The DR strung together a few more hits in the inning, Alen Hanson coming through with an RBI single to score Frank Rodriguez, and the game had suddenly shifted and was headed towards blowout territory. The Dominican Republic had thoroughly dominated the game and that only continued into the fifth inning, where Alcantara once again went deep, a solo shot, to extend the lead DR lead to 5-0. South Korea finally scratched together a hit against Kilome in the bottom of the fifth inning, but nothing came of that, and when Hanson drove in his second run of the game in the sixth inning it seemed the tournament was all but over for the Korea side. To this point the Dominican Republic had allowed just eight runs in 32 innings during the tournament, and Korea found themselves needing at least six in four innings to have and shot of advancing.
Alcántara Attack! Arismendy annihilates it to deep right for a solo shot! ⚾️ #Premier12 || @Premier12 | @FedobeRD pic.twitter.com/g9rAhVTfib— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Baseball is a marvelous game, and any mistake can flip things in an instant. Kilome was pulled after five innings and just 57 pitches, but the DR bullpen had been terrific throughout the tournament, leaving no thoughts that this was a bad decision. The Hector Perez walked the first two batters in the sixth inning, and after he was pulled with one out the game quickly gained intrigue. Despite the loss of Doyeong Kim, who left the game due to an unknown injury a half inning prior, the Korean side suddenly came alive and those walks, along with a huge defensive error, started the avalanche. Minjae Shin rolled a routine ball back to new pitcher Joely Rodriguez, which should have been the second out of the inning, but Rodriguez hesitated. Rodriguez looked to third, where the runner held, but didn’t see the runner from second sprinting to third base. Rodriguez missed an opportunity to take one of the lead two runners in the rundown, then rushed his throw andmade a poor throw to first base. That error helped Korea get two runs on the board and extend the inning. Bogyeong Moon split the right-center field gap with a double, Dongwon Park followed with a double of his own, and suddenly one mistake turned this game into just a 6-4 Dominican Republic lead.
What a comeback! ⚾ Trailing all game, Korea battle back, and with two outs and two strikes, Seonghan Park triples to right-centre to drive in two runs, taking the lead 7-6! #Premier12 || @Premier12 | @KBOleague pic.twitter.com/P4YFjWDqZ6— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
The Dominican Republic still had a lead and a great bullpen, and when neither side scored in the seventh inning Korea still had runs to make up and only a couple of innings to do it. Seungyeup Na led off in the eighth inning with a single, but then the Dominican Republic turned to Diego Castillo who has been strong so far this tournament. Castillo got a quick out, but when Dongwon Park singled into left field the Korean side had the tying run on base. Sungmun Song then rolled a grounder through the right side, the hit scoring Na and moving the tying run over to third base. Castillo got a strikeout, and the hopes for Korea rested on the shoulders of Seonghan Park. Park and Castillo battled, running up a 3-2 count, and Park sat on a Castillo slider, slapping one into the gap that scored both runners to give Korea a shocking lead. Park streaked around safely for a triple, and South Korea kept pouring runs in. Wonjun Choi hooked one just fair down the right field line for an RBI double, and Changki Hong floated a single into center field to finish off a five run eighth inning and extend Korea’s lead to 9-6. Michael De Leon led off in the ninth inning with a base hit, but after a sharp fly out it was Hanson, whose performance early in the game was critical to the Dominican Republic opening up their lead, grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to seal the game for Korea.
Schedule for November 17th
Cuba (1-2) vs Japan (3-0) — 6:00 PM Local/5:00 AM EST
Venue: Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium - Taipei City, Taipei
How to Watch: DAZN
Chinese Taipei (2-1) vs Australia (1-2) — 6:30 PM Local/5:30 AM EST
Venue: Taipei Dome - Taipei City, Taipei
How to Watch: DAZN
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Photo by Clicks Images/Getty Images
Korea trailed 6-0, but rattled off nine straight runs to stay alive in Group B While current and former Braves have had their impact throughout the WBSC Premier12 tournament, Saturday was a quiet one for the organization as with the end of Group A play there are few former Braves left kicking around. Drake Baldwin still will have a chance to contribute in the super round as the United States advanced, but for now we focus on an exciting trio of games capped by a wild comeback. Former Braves farmhand Steve Kent did pop up for Australia though, pitching 1 2⁄3 of scoreless, hitless relief.
SCOREBOARD
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Player of the DayArismendy Alcantara, Dominican Republic3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Arismendy Alcantara had his fingerprints all over the game for the Dominican Republic, accounting for four of the tournament-high six runs scored by the Dominican. His two-run home run in the fourth inning helped break the game wide open, and just an inning later he came back and did it again with a solo home run. He was the clear offensive leader in the Dominican Republic’s early run scoring efforts as they opened a 6-0 lead against South Korea.
Pitcher of the Day: Franklyn Kilome, Dominican Republic5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Kilome was untouchable in his start for the Dominican Republic, carving through the Korean lineup like butter as they had seemingly no chance against him. Kilome carried perfection into the fifth inning, retiring the first 14 batters he faced, before they finally broke through with a single. Kilome immediately turned around and got the final out of the inning, completing five-inning scoreless, one-hit masterpiece. Kilome did all of this on only 57 pitches, setting his team up to potentially get an important win.
AUSTRALIA 3 — 4 CUBA
box score | replay
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PLAYERS OF THE GAMEYadir Drake, CUB: 2-2, HR, 3 RBIRobbie Glendinning, AUS: 2-3, HRAndy Vargas, CUB: 3.1 IP, 1 R, 5 K
Cuba desperately needed a win to retain any hope of staying alive in Group B, especially headed into consecutive matchups against the two teams at the top of the bracket. Australia, the only team besides those two to only have one loss, came in best positioned to make a run at knocking one of those two out of the Super Round. Both teams came out in this game with early fireworks. Travis Bazzana’s jam shot to second base was an easy first out, but Aaron Whitefield ripped one through the middle of the infield for a base hit to kick off a rally for Australia. Robbie Glendinning, whose huge day was pivotal in Australia’s offensive attack, followed with another base hit, and Rixon Wingrove broke the seal, rolling one through the infield to score Whitefield to give Australia an early lead. Cuban starter Dario Sarduy did get a strikeout for the second out, but he failed to get through the first inning. Darryl George muscled a flare single into center field, scoring Glendinning and stretching the Aussie lead up to 2-0. Cuba was forced to turn to Andy Vargas out of the bullpen, a quick decision that would potentially save their chances in the tournament.
The good thing for Cuba is that with them having a chance to face the top two teams in the bracket they have complete control over their own destiny even with those two opening losses. Cuba wouldn’t take a third lying down, and Roel Santos got the bottom of the inning started with a quick base hit to start a Cuban rally. Yadir Drake, Cuba’s answer to Glendinning’s fine afternoon, lashed the first pitch he saw into left field for a base hit, and suddenly Cuba was looking at the potential of a massive inning to answer Australia’s. Yoelkis Gilbert delivered the scoring hit, a single into right field that chased home Santos, but Cuba failed to fully take advantage and weren’t able to tie the game in the first inning. Alfredo Despaigne struck out, and Ariel Martinez smacked one up the middle but right at Bazzana who calmly stepped on second and threw to first for an inning-ending double play. Australia had narrowly avoided disaster, but they needed to keep adding on runs.
This is where Australia just couldn’t keep up in the game. After four hits in the first inning they managed only four the rest of the game, and Andy Vargas was a key reason for that. Vargas was shaky in the second inning after getting two quick outs, loading the bases on a hit, walk and hit batter, but Wingrove couldn’t come through in his second look at an RBI opportunity and Australia came away empty-handed. The third and fourth were much cleaner for Vargas, and his offense would support him with a big third inning. After two innings of Tim Atherton Australia stayed with the plan, running out the second of the list of arms they would use to try and cover nine innings, this time bringing in lefty Blake Townsend against the nine hitter and then top of the order. Townsend got Jean Harvin to roll one weakly down the third base line, but that forced George at third to make a tough bare-handed play, and he skipped a throw to first base that Wingrove failed to come up with. This key error started a quick barrage from Cuba, with Roel Santos executing a perfect drag bunt for the second hit. Townsend was now in major trouble, and he dug deeper by falling behind 2-0 to Yadir Drake. The 2-0 pitch was a slider left middle-middle, and Drake annihilated the ball, watching to make sure he kept it inside the left field foul poul, and celebrating a three-run home run that gave Cuba the lead in a flash.
️ "It stays fair and it's gone!" Yadir Drake's dinger puts Cuba in front.#Premier12 || @Premier12 pic.twitter.com/I3XdGTsd4d— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Vargas kept plugging away and getting outs from the Aussie lineup, but finally the well ran dry in the fifth inning. Glendinning left his mark on the game to lead off — a moonshot off of an inside fastball for a solo home run — and the lead was quickly sliced in half. Vargas got an out but then hit Tim Kennelly, a pitch which ended his day. Frank Alvarez was brought in to reliever Vargas, and early on his control was not working well. Alvarez bounced an 0-2 pitch to Darryl George, and when the ball popped up out of catcher Rafael Vinales’s view Kennelly broke for second to try to get into scoring position. The ball bounced perfectly for Vinales right in front of his feet, and Vinales alertly picked it up and made a gorgeous throw to second base that caught Kennelly for the second out. George would reach on a walk, but that out at second ended a potential rally.
Both bullpens ended the game on strong runs. After that poor third inning from Townsend the Australian staff covered the next 5 2⁄3 innings scoreless, though the Cubans had runners on base in each inning. On the other hand, the Cuban relievers past Vargas combined to allow just one hit across the next four inning, though Australia would make their bid to tie the game. Three Cuban pitchers combined to walk the bases loaded in the seventh inning, but Australia couldn’t find the big two-out hit. Alex Hall hit a rocket off of Leodan Reyes, but sprayed it right at second baseman Yadir Mujica to allow Cuba’s coaching staff an exhalation of relief. The rest of the way was fairly routine for Cuba’s relievers, Raidel Martinez pitching a perfect ninth inning with a couple of strikeouts to close out Cuba’s first win of the tournament.
JAPAN 3 — 1 CHINESE TAIPEI
box score | replay
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PLAYERS OF THE GAMEHiroto Saiki, JPN: 5.2 IP, 0 R, 5 KSosuke Genda, JPN: 1-3, HRChieh-Hsien Chen: 2-4
Japan keeps steam-rolling through this tournament, the dominance of their pitching staff overwhelming so far in Group B. Taiwan has struggled offensively in all three games, a six run inning in game one notwithstanding, and Japan’s ability to shut them down created a razor thin margin for error in what has been the biggest matchup so far in the tournament. Taiwan’s early mistake — a leadoff error that allowed the first batter of the game to reach — all but erased that margin as Shota Morishita’s sacrifice fly would bring home the runner to give Japan an early lead. Hiroto Saiki then strolled out to the mound to go to work, and that one run was about all they would need.
Hiroto Saiki with the strikeout for Samurai Japan, keeping the zero on the board at the Taipei Dome#Premier12 || @Premier12 | @samuraijapan_pr pic.twitter.com/DIywqrpjL6— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Saiki was unquestionably brilliant. While Taiwan scratched together a hit here and there his dominance ensured they couldn’t rally. He commanded his pitches well and carved through the lineup with ease, only allowing two baserunners across the first four innings of the game. His control finally broke a bit in the fifth inning when he issued a leadoff walk, but he backed that up with a double play ball that erased the threat, and once again had his shut down inning. Japan rode Saiki as far as he would take them, the Japanese offense opening up a 3-1 lead after four innings, then when Saiki finally faltered a bit in the sixth inning made a quick switch to an equally dominant bullpen. Saiki had allowed a walk and then a sharp grounder from Chieh-Hsien Chen brought the tying run to the plate, forcing Japan to turn to Shota Suzuki. Suzuki did his job, getting a weak roller over to short, and the threat ended as quickly as it began.
That got out in a hurry! Solo home run for Sosuke Genda to give Japan a 3-0 lead in the 4th inning.#Premier12 || @Premier12 | @samuraijapan_pr pic.twitter.com/aSMZ4U6KiW— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Japan’s offense wasn’t satisfied with the early run they had given Saiki, and Taiwan’s Po-Ching Chen just didn’t have a great day on the mound. While Chen would limit damage he never had a great feel for his location, and the bases stayed busy throughout his time on the mound. He walked Shogo Sakakura to lead off the third inning, and though he would get two outs he couldn’t quite escape. A blast to left field from Ryosuke Tatsumi chased Chen-Wei Chen back to the wall, but he couldn’t quite make it, the ball caroming off of the wall and allowing Sakakura to score the second run of the game. Japan’s third run was a bit less dramatic. Sosuke Genda got an inside fastball and turned on it with a quickness, blasting a solo home run into left field that ended the day for Chen. Japan had a chance to blow the game open in the fourth inning when reliever En-Sih Huang allowed two straight hits to kick off his stint on the mound, but Huang got a ground out and a routine fly out to left to keep Taiwan’s hopes alive for the final five innings. Japan’s bullpen was simply too dominant. Taiwan notched just one hit and no walks after Saiki departed, though their one hit did come in the biggest way. Pei-Fong Dai ripped a middle-middle fastball over the right field wall, the solo home run reinvigorating the host nation’s crowd. That would be the last gasp. Koki Kitayama pitched a clean eighth and Taisei Ota a perfect ninth to close out a key win that has all but guaranteed Japan their expected spot in the next round.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 6 — KOREA 9
box score | replay
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PLAYERS OF THE GAMEArismendy Alcantara, DOM: 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBIFranklyn Kilome, DOM: 5 IP, 0 R, 5 KSeonghan Park, KOR: 1-3, 3B, 2 RBI
The Dominican Republic and Korea came into this game with their backs against the wall, each needing a win to retain serious hope of a berth in the Super Round. The game would swing quickly in the favor of the Dominican Republic, who took a huge lead behind the phenomenal work of Franklyn Kilome and their offense. It looked like they may have a chance to break the game open right out of the gates, the first two batters of the game each getting singles, but the Dominicans failed to bring home any of their runners, a critical strikeout of Andretty Cordero the biggest play of the inning, and they would have to wait just a bit before opening up a lead.
It didn’t seem like it would matter much at all how long they waited, as starter Franklyn Kilome had an absurd game. From the first pitch he was locked in on the mound, and the Korean lineup had no answer as Kilome maneuvered through a 1-2-3 first inning. That would be the recurring line for Kilome. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, and Kilome had breezed through four innings, perfect, while his hitters had a chance to blow the game wide open. Arismendy Alcantara opened things up in the second inning with a base hit, and two consecutive walks had the Dominican Republic in position to take a commanding lead with the bases loaded and no outs. A double play ball would mostly erase those chances, scoring Alcantara but ultimately being the first play in what was a disappointing result for the inning. The DR had a 1-0 early lead, and Kilome seemed up to the challenge of defending that, but the Dominican Republic wanted more and could have had more. Finally the fourth inning rolled around the Dominican Republic came out in search of blood, Alcantara delivering the back-breaking blow for Korean starter Chan Kyu Im. Im delivered a slow curveball right over the heart of the plate, and Alcantara dropped his bat head to it, driving a deep fly ball to right center field that would carry for a two-run home run. Im’s day was done, but the Dominican Republic’s wasn’t, and neither was Alcantara’s.
Big swing! ⚾ Arismendy Alcántara rockets one to deep right-centre, bringing Rainer Núñez home for two runs! #Premier12 || @Premier12 | @FedobeRD pic.twitter.com/TWhSHjyVTb— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
The DR strung together a few more hits in the inning, Alen Hanson coming through with an RBI single to score Frank Rodriguez, and the game had suddenly shifted and was headed towards blowout territory. The Dominican Republic had thoroughly dominated the game and that only continued into the fifth inning, where Alcantara once again went deep, a solo shot, to extend the lead DR lead to 5-0. South Korea finally scratched together a hit against Kilome in the bottom of the fifth inning, but nothing came of that, and when Hanson drove in his second run of the game in the sixth inning it seemed the tournament was all but over for the Korea side. To this point the Dominican Republic had allowed just eight runs in 32 innings during the tournament, and Korea found themselves needing at least six in four innings to have and shot of advancing.
Alcántara Attack! Arismendy annihilates it to deep right for a solo shot! ⚾️ #Premier12 || @Premier12 | @FedobeRD pic.twitter.com/g9rAhVTfib— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
Baseball is a marvelous game, and any mistake can flip things in an instant. Kilome was pulled after five innings and just 57 pitches, but the DR bullpen had been terrific throughout the tournament, leaving no thoughts that this was a bad decision. The Hector Perez walked the first two batters in the sixth inning, and after he was pulled with one out the game quickly gained intrigue. Despite the loss of Doyeong Kim, who left the game due to an unknown injury a half inning prior, the Korean side suddenly came alive and those walks, along with a huge defensive error, started the avalanche. Minjae Shin rolled a routine ball back to new pitcher Joely Rodriguez, which should have been the second out of the inning, but Rodriguez hesitated. Rodriguez looked to third, where the runner held, but didn’t see the runner from second sprinting to third base. Rodriguez missed an opportunity to take one of the lead two runners in the rundown, then rushed his throw andmade a poor throw to first base. That error helped Korea get two runs on the board and extend the inning. Bogyeong Moon split the right-center field gap with a double, Dongwon Park followed with a double of his own, and suddenly one mistake turned this game into just a 6-4 Dominican Republic lead.
What a comeback! ⚾ Trailing all game, Korea battle back, and with two outs and two strikes, Seonghan Park triples to right-centre to drive in two runs, taking the lead 7-6! #Premier12 || @Premier12 | @KBOleague pic.twitter.com/P4YFjWDqZ6— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) November 16, 2024
The Dominican Republic still had a lead and a great bullpen, and when neither side scored in the seventh inning Korea still had runs to make up and only a couple of innings to do it. Seungyeup Na led off in the eighth inning with a single, but then the Dominican Republic turned to Diego Castillo who has been strong so far this tournament. Castillo got a quick out, but when Dongwon Park singled into left field the Korean side had the tying run on base. Sungmun Song then rolled a grounder through the right side, the hit scoring Na and moving the tying run over to third base. Castillo got a strikeout, and the hopes for Korea rested on the shoulders of Seonghan Park. Park and Castillo battled, running up a 3-2 count, and Park sat on a Castillo slider, slapping one into the gap that scored both runners to give Korea a shocking lead. Park streaked around safely for a triple, and South Korea kept pouring runs in. Wonjun Choi hooked one just fair down the right field line for an RBI double, and Changki Hong floated a single into center field to finish off a five run eighth inning and extend Korea’s lead to 9-6. Michael De Leon led off in the ninth inning with a base hit, but after a sharp fly out it was Hanson, whose performance early in the game was critical to the Dominican Republic opening up their lead, grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to seal the game for Korea.
Schedule for November 17th
Cuba (1-2) vs Japan (3-0) — 6:00 PM Local/5:00 AM EST
Venue: Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium - Taipei City, Taipei
How to Watch: DAZN
Chinese Taipei (2-1) vs Australia (1-2) — 6:30 PM Local/5:30 AM EST
Venue: Taipei Dome - Taipei City, Taipei
How to Watch: DAZN
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