The rematch takes place on November 15 at 7:00 p.m. local time at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, STARNEWS reported.
Japan brings an overwhelming offensive record into the final round. The team has scored 30 runs across three tournament games.
Nikkan Sports reported that SoftBank’s Masaki Tomoya and Rakuten’s Muneyama Rui form the core of the Japanese lineup. Masaki hit 28 home runs during the Nippon Professional Baseball season and has added four home runs, eight RBIs, and eight runs scored in the tournament.
Muneyama missed significant playing time this season due to injury. Despite that absence, he has driven in 10 runs and hit three home runs, including a multi-homer performance against South Korea.
The duo has combined for a .541 batting average with 13 hits in 24 at-bats, along with 7 home runs and 18 RBIs. Japanese media and analysts refer to the pair as the Masamune combination. Even among Japanese players, Masaki is called a “Sugoi Batter” (an extraordinary hitter).
Matsuda Nobuhiro, guest commentator who participated in the Japanese news program “Sunday Morning,” highlighted Masaki’s outstanding performance and drew attention to changes in his batting form.
“Until last year it was a hand-releasing style, but starting this season he has improved it with a follow-through without releasing both hands to prevent injuries,” Matsuda said.
“The influence of the left shoulder has been reduced and, since the back hand pushes, the bat speed has increased. Considering that the outside is far and not connected, it has also led to an improvement in pitch selection. It could be said it was a blessing in disguise; really everything has improved,” Matsuda said.
“The batting registered a speed of 181.2 km/h and was absorbed by the gradas in a quick blur,” Nikkan Sports reported regarding Masaki’s home run against Australia.
“If you manage to generate fear through a powerful swing, that is the best,” Masaki told Nikkan Sports.
South Korea will send SSG Landers left-hander Kim Gun-woo to the mound as starting pitcher.
Manager Iguchi leads the young Japanese national team as they seek their first international tournament victory under his tenure. Japanese commentators have cautioned against underestimating South Korea despite the preliminary round result, noting that caution is required against a potential counterattack from South Korea since it is a reunion with an opponent Japan already defeated once in the qualifying phase.
Worth a look
