Baseball at the Tokyo Olympics has been holding an irregular final tournament including the repechage from August 1st. The Japanese national team passed Group A in 1st place with two consecutive victories in the qualifying league. In the quarterfinals tonight (August 2nd), we will face the United States, which passed the qualifying league group B in 1st place. An important battle for the long-sought gold medal. In Japan, pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will be the starting pitcher.
Final Tournament Schedule in favor of Japan
Baseball at the Olympic Games is not defeated in the qualifying league, and is played in a special tournament system in which all teams advance to the final tournament.
By passing Group A in the qualifying league, Japan will advance to the quarter-finals one day after the final round of the qualifying league. If you win the match tonight (August 2nd), you will have another day to advance to the semifinals on the night of August 4th.
Japan passed the qualifying league in 1st place, which made the final tournament an advantageous schedule. If you have passed the group in the qualifying league in 2nd or 3rd place, it will be the first round of the final tournament without a break, and depending on the win, the match will continue, and in the most case, there is a possibility that the match will be organized for 6 consecutive days. did.
Atsunori Inaba in the match against Mexico
Director Atsunori Inaba
I feel that the team has started to move in the right direction. Night games get cooler, so I think it’s going to feel like it’s normal.
Masahiro Tanaka is the starting pitcher for the quarterfinals
Masahiro Tanaka playing catch (August 1st)
Masahiro Tanaka is the starting pitcher for the match against the United States, which holds the key to the gold medal. I returned to the Japanese baseball world for the first time in eight years from the major leagues. On the 1st, we played catch at a stadium in Tokyo and made the final adjustments. Pitcher Tanaka is enthusiastic, “I think it’s finally my turn, so I want to do my best and do my best.”
Pitcher Tanaka at the Beijing Olympics (2008)
Pitcher Tanaka participated in the Beijing Olympics 13 years ago at the age of 19 and relieved in three games. Japan missed the medal, although it was a good throw with no runs.
Tanaka big pitcher
At the Beijing Olympics, I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a medal. Anyway, everyone is fighting for the gold medal and the goal there.
Pitcher Tanaka left a track record against the smashers in the Major League Baseball Yankees until last season. We are paying attention to what kind of pitching will be shown to the American opponent on the first mound of this tournament.
Tanaka big pitcher
There are both pitchers and fielders who were teammates, but I don’t enjoy that kind of situation anymore. I want to do the work to suppress the batters one by one.
If Japan wins, it will face South Korea in the semi-finals
Japan passed the first place in the qualifying group A with consecutive wins
If Japan wins the match tonight, they will face South Korea in the semi-finals. Inaba said about starting pitcher Tanaka, “Japanese baseball fans are paying a lot of attention and they are expected in the team, but I hope they can pitch themselves.”
In the qualifying league match against Dominica and Mexico, the Japanese national team fully demonstrated the speed and power that Inaba pursued. It will be interesting to see if the match tonight will also win.
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