WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS Group B - Japan, Dominican Republic, Chinese Taipei claim opening victories
Defending champions Japan opened their WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS account with victory over Australia while Chinese Taipei and the Dominican Republic also claimed wins to start Group B play on Wednesday.
World No. 1
Japan claimed their 18th win in 19 games against world No. 15Australia by claiming a 9-3 win.
In front ofan attendance of 30,691 in Nagoya, Samurai Japan scored in six of the firsteight innings and built up a quick 5-0 lead through four. Australia answeredwith a pair of long home runs in the top of the sixth to reduce the deficit to3-5, but Japan added four insurance runs in the seventh and eighth to seal thevictory.
Shota Morishita led the way for Japan on offense, going3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a single and a walk, three runs scored and twoRBI. Shogo Sakakura scored twice for Japan, which had 13 hits in the game.
Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 draft pick in Major League Baseball this year,collected a pair of singles and stole a base for Australia.
On Australia’s pitching side David Nilsson made quite a fewtrips to the mound, as they set a record for pitching changes within a singlenine-inning game in WBSC Premier12 competitions. He played the matchupsthroughout the entire contest, bringing out 12 hurlers. Lewis Thorpe gotcharged with the loss.
Meanwhile, Arismendy Alcantara and Robert Corniel led world No. 12 Dominican Republic to a 6-1 win over No. 9 Cuba at Taipei Tianmu Stadium.
After six scoreless innings with veteran left-hander Yoennis Yera and 35-year-old former major leaguer Wily Peralta duelling for five innings. the seventh inning represented the game's turning point. The Dominican Republic scored the go-ahead run. Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) reliever Robert Corniel protected the lead as he took over with runners at second and first and no one out. He escaped the jam despite facing the third and fourth in the batting order.
"Well, close games often are decided in the late innings," said Dominican manager César Martin. "The team wanted this win, but this will not change our approach. We need to keep focusing on one game at a time. This tournament is incredibly competitive."
And in the most electrifying setting of the Taipei Dome since its inauguration a year ago, a close-to-full-house crowd of 34,528 fans witnessed the most intense international game ever played in the venue, with the home team coming on top with a solid 6-3 win over Korea.
Chinese Taipei starter Lin said after the game: “I had the similar experience from last year (playing against Korea in the Asian Games) so I understand the tension of the game. Four and 2/3 innings may not be seen as a long start, but we do understand that this is not a season game but an international tournament, so I think the timing (to be removed) was right. We do have a great bullpen, and they did a great job, too.”
Standings WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 0 |
| 1 |  |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 0 |
| 3 |  |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 0.5 |
| 3 |  |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 0.5 |
| 5 |  |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1 |
| 5 |  |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1 |
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 |
| 1 |  |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 |
| 1 |  |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 |
| 4 |  |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1 |
| 4 |  |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1 |
| 4 |  |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1 |
- Where to Watch the WBSC Premier12 2024
- Australia v Japan: Nilsson-Ibata looking forward to rekindle friendship in Group B opening game
- Japan opens WBSC Premier12 2024 against Australia on Wednesday in the Vantelin Dome Nagoya
- Dominican Republic to face Cuba at Taipei's Tianmu Stadium
- Chinese Taipei take on Korea in biggest international baseball event at Taipei Dome
- Chinese Taipei, Korea, Cuba and Dominican Republic ready for action in Taipei
- WBSC Premier12 2024 Group B to open on 13 November in Nagoya and Taipei
- WBSC Premier12 2024 Preview: 12 teams chase international baseball glory
- WBSC Premier12 2024 Tournament Programme and Media Guide available to download
- WBSC Premier12 2024 - By The Numbers
Key links
- Tournament Website
- Schedule/Results/Live Scoring
- Where to Watch
- Live clips on X
- Videos
- Photos
- WBSC Premier12 2024 Groups
- WBSC/KONAMI Men's Baseball World Ranking