Japan booked its place in the tournament final with a 16-1 victory over Australia on Saturday, November 14, at Tokyo Dome in the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship.
Opening onslaught at Tokyo Dome
Samurai Japan sent 15 batters to the plate in the first inning alone, tagging Australia starting pitcher Liam Dolan for 11 runs before the side was retired. Tomoya Masaki drew a walk to start the frame, followed by a single from Rui Soyama to put runners on first and second.
Fumiya Nishikawa drove in the game’s opening run with a base hit, and Koki Yamaguchi added an RBI double before Seiya Watanabe pushed the lead to 3-0 with another run-scoring single.
The relentless first-inning frame continued when Tai Sasaki drew a bases-loaded infield single against the mound to bring home the fourth run. Shunsuke Sasaki, Yudai Shoji, and Masaki each drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to stretch the margin to 7-0.
With the bases still loaded, Soyama launched a grand slam to center field. The drive marked his fourth home run of the tournament and his third in as many games, boosting Japan’s advantage to 11-0.
Masaki and Soyama extend home run streaks
The offense didn’t slow down in the second inning as Masaki connected for a two-run blast to left field following a walk to Shunsuke Sasaki. The shot gave Masaki home runs in three consecutive games and pushed the score to 13-0.
Yamaguchi doubled to center field with one out in the third inning. Watanabe followed by driving a two-run homer over the center-field wall, padding the tournament lead to 15-0 through three innings of play.
Australia broke the shutout in the fourth inning when B. Ayadell hit a solo home run to right-center field with two outs. Japan answered in the fifth when substitute Shu Yamagata singled to set up first and second bases, allowing Tai Sasaki to knock in his second RBI of the night and make it 16-1.
Pitching staff seals preliminary sweep
Starting pitcher Takeuchi held Australia to one run and one hit over four innings of work. The left-hander issued no walks and preserved the early cushion before handing the ball over to the bullpen.
Taiichi Koha and Riu Kutani each tossed scoreless frames in relief. Kengo Matsumoto closed out the seventh inning to complete the 16-1 mercy-rule decision and seal a 3-0 preliminary round sweep for Japan.
Japan secures final spot while Taiwan and South Korea compete
The victory secures a spot in the final for Japan as the team pursues its third tournament title, following championships in 2017 and 2023. Saturday night’s result between Taiwan and South Korea will determine Sunday’s final opponent at Tokyo Dome.
A victory by Taiwan secures their spot in the title game with a 2-1 record. If South Korea wins, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia will finish tied at 1-2, requiring the tournament tiebreaker formula based on run-differential ratio to decide who advances to face Japan on Sunday, November 15.
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