SAN DIEGO, California, 20 March 2006 — Baseball was created in the United States but it appears to have been perfected in Cuba and Japan.
The Japanese avenged two prior losses to previously unbeaten South Korea with a 6-0 victory here Saturday in the World Baseball Classic to book a date in Monday’s final against Cuba, which eliminated the Dominican Republic 3-1.
“I believe this team is probably the strongest team Japan ever had against Cuba,” Japan manager Sadaharu Oh said. “We can show a great performance against Cuba on Monday. Win or lose we’ll play with a lot of heart and a lot of pride.”
The championship game of the first global tournament featuring Major League Baseball players will include only two major leaguers, Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and pitcher Akinori Otsuka, and communist Cuba’s amateur dynasty.
The Cubans advanced to the final of an international tournament for the 37th time in a row, a streak that includes titles in 19 of 20 World Cups and three of four Olympics. Cuba last finished outside the top two at the 1951 World Cup.
The Japanese made the most of the second chance despite most of their major league stars, including New York Yankee Hideki Matsui and a host of pitchers, rejecting overtures to represent their nation against the world’s best.
Cubans waited decades to prove themselves against wealthy major leaguers and sweated out a US Treasury Department decision in January allowing them to play despite US sanctions against their political rivals.
