Do you know what the World Baseball Classic is?
World Baseball Classic logo
It’s a new international baseball competition. Like soccer’s World Cup.
The World Baseball Classic 2009 started today.
This is only the second time that the World Baseball Classic occurred.
The World Baseball Classic 2006 was the first and only other time this competition took place so far.
Japan was the champion team of the World Baseball Classic 2006 games.
The first game of the World Baseball Classic 2009 was Japan vs China. This game took place this afternoon (Japan time) at the Tokyo Dome.
Japan beat China with a final score of 4-0.
The next game will be Korea vs Taipei, also at the Tokyo Dome. Japan will face the winning team of that game on March 7th (again at the Tokyo Dome).
At the Tokyo Dome
The Japan team has high hopes of winning the World Baseball Classic again.
The host cities for the World Baseball Classic ’09 are Tokyo, Japan; Mexico City, Mexico; Toronto, Canada; San Juan, Puerto Rico; San Diego, USA; Miami, USA; and Los Angeles, USA.
The countries that have teams competing are: Japan (with Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the team), South Korea, China, Taipei, Australia, Canada, USA, Mexico, Dominican Republic (with Alex Rodriguez on the team), Cuba, Italy, The Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and South Africa.
The World Baseball Classic 2009 will go from today’s game that Japan won until the final in Los Angeles on March 23, 2009.
Do you like baseball?
Are you following the World Baseball Classic? Which team are you supporting?
Did you watch the Japan vs China game today? If so, did you watch it on TV…or were you at the Tokyo Dome?
By the way, if you wanna visit the official World Baseball Classic homepage…then, click here.
South Korea beat Taiwan (9-0) in today’s WBC game.
Next, Japan will play Korea at the Tokyo Dome.
Konichuwa!
Hello from “IRONPIGPEN” at lvironpigs.wordpress.com in USA
We support AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs professional baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA.
We had two IronPigs players from last season sign contracts to play in Japan this season.
Good luck to JAPAN in World Baseball Classic.
DAISUKE MATSUZAKA pitched at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown for AAA Pawtucket Red Sox against IronPigs last season!
From what I see on television, the Tokyo Dome is an exciting place to be these days…
South Korea vs Japan should be great game. I have predicted Japan to win Pool A at my site.
I have yet to forecast a tournament winner. Japan is on my mind…
Thanks for visiting my site.
Please comment anytime!
Did you watch the games in Tokyo live on TV?
It must have been 2:00AM or so in America!
I’m not sure I’ll find the time to watch the WBC, but I’m determined to go to a Rakuten Eagles game this summer. When I was in Tokyo, I went to a Giants game and a few Swallows games, but haven’t been to one in over 2 years!
Do you like baseball alot?
When you watch baseball in Japan, do you eat Japanese snacks? Baseball stadiums in Japan have girls with kegs on their backs selling beer, and squid, noodles, etc.
For me, the best thing about baseball in Japan is the food and beer!
My son was able to see a baseball game in Yokohama last season. Him and his team had a BLAST!
I saw on your blog that you have three sons.
I have three daughters.
How long have you been in Japan?
Japan just won Korea cold at 14-2! Yeah, baseball in Japan is food & beer man!
Yeah, I watched it.
So what country does Japan play against next?
Maybe Japan’s gonna be the WBC champion’s again!
Japan will play the winner of South Korea – China, which will be played March 8 at 4:30 am Eastern Standard Time in United States.
For scores, game articles and more about World Baseball Classic, please visit me at
IRONPIGPEN
lvironpigs.wordpress.com
Japan looked very impressive against South Korea the other morning. A total team effort.
>Japan will play the winner of South Korea – China, which will be played March 8
The China v Korea game is going right now.
Korea’s winning…so it looks like Japan’s next game will be against Korea again.
Thanks for explaining.
South Korea has clobbered China by two touchdowns, 14-0.
Next up, South Korea vs Japan for the Pool A championship.
4:30 in the morning for me here in Allentown, PA, USA, but I plan to watch.
Both teams are qualified to move on to the next round but I think it will be exciting anyway as I think there is much pride at stake.
Great picture for your post.
I will be formally predicting Japan to win the entire WBC tomorrow at my website in conjunction with some other Philadelphia Phillies bloggers, so, needless to say, I am rooting for Japan this morning versus South Korea!
I do think Japan can win the whole thing. I am envious of the way the Japanese nation supports their team (and the South Koreans, too) as compared to the attitude here in America towards USA squad.
Yes, I saw that Korea beat China (14-0) on the news this morning.
So Japan will face Korea again today.
がんばれ日本！ (Good luck, Japan!)
WBC fans and all others around the world -
to help celebrate the WBC and honor Mr. Tokyo Five and his family, the IRONPIGPEN has the following article
“Culture Outside The Park – Tokyo Five”
http://www.lvironpigs.wordpress.com
Included is the probable starting line-up for Japan in today’s Pool A championship game with their current statistics in WBC
Good luck to Japan. (And South Korea)
PS – I expect Japan to win.
I just finished watching the second Japan vs Korea game.
Korea beat Japan (1-0). So both teams will go to the U.S. now.
“Players Pay While Waiting To Play”
This one looks at the top-paid players on both Japan and South Korea national teams at WBC
Salaries for both MLB and NPB
Public thank you to Mr. Tokyo Five for answering my baseball questions as well in the article
>thank you to Mr. Tokyo Five for answering my baseball questions as well in the article
Of course. I will gladly try to answer questions you have.
Korea did win 1-0 but it was a fantastic “pitchers duel” kind of game.
Not the end of the world for Japan. I wrote my formal prediction article today
“Still The One – Japan”
The slates will be wiped clean in the second round.
I think Japanese bats were quiet in first round but the pitching was strong. I believe the pitching will remain strong and the bats will wake up.
Plus, sometimes there is great pressure to play in front of home fans.
I also think Japan will stick together as a team. “Wa” means harmony, correct? Didn’t the famous Japanese player S.Oh later write a book “You Gotta Have Wa”?
Mr. Oh wrote the book “The Zen Way Of Baseball“.
“You Gotta Have Wa” is by someone else.
And, yes, 「和」 means “peace” or “harmony“. It can also mean “Japan” (from Japan’s old name: 「大和」 (Yamato)).
What is a “Nippon Ham Fighter”
Nippon means Japan, correct? So what is a Ham Fighter?
Yes. 「日本」 (Nippon) is Japan’s real name.
See my FAQ:
http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~tokyo5/faq.html#name
>So what is a Ham Fighter?
That’s funny.
The baseball team’s name is the Hokkaido ‘Nippon Ham’ Fighters. (Not the Nippon “Ham Fighters”).
The team is the “Fighters”.
“Nippon Ham” is the name of the company that owns the team. And they’re based in Hokkaido, Japan.
Every Japan pro baseball team has their sponsor company’s name is the team name.
For example, the Tokyo Giants are owned by the Yomiuri Newspaper.
Yeah, I knew they all were owned by companies.
I am a big ice hockey and soccer fan. That’s the way it works for pro clubs in Europe, too.
Like PSV Eindhoven of Holland. Phillips (light bulb, etc. maker) Sport Verein (sport association).
I don’t know what the actual companies are so that’s cool you filled me in. Yomiuri is a newspaper, etc. Great.
The Ham Fighter thing must have been hysterical for you. I didn’t put two and two together with Japan and Ham!
How did Japanese public react after loss to Korea?
Are they still hopeful Japan can win?
I wrote my formal prediction article Monday night. I do think japan can still win. If anybody wants to read -
“Still The One – Japan”
lvironpigs.wordpress.com
I think the United States is playing well right now. But their pitching is not as strong as Japan. If they don’t score lots of runs all the time, they will be in trouble.
I think Japan has the strongest pitching in the tournament and, in many sports, it is DEFENSE that is usually great success.
Old sports adage – “Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships”
Go Japan, make me look smart!
>How did Japanese public react after loss to Korea?
Are they still hopeful Japan can win?
Of course, everyone was disappointed. But the Japanese team’s not out of the running yet.
I watched the United States play yesterday (if that’s what you want to call it). They lost 11-1!
How many games has America played so far? How many have they won?
Is America still in the running?
Japan has a WBC game today.
Japan beat Cuba yesterday 6-0.
Today, Korea will play Mexico…and then the winner of that game will play against Japan tomorrow.
Korea beat Mexico today…so tomorrow Japan will play Korea for the third time in this WBC.
Hello Mr Tokyo, Japan, and whoever from where ever else!
Good luck to Japan vs South Korea tonight (11:30 PM Eastern Standard Time USA).
I have Japan to win the tournament for my official pick.
I look for Japan to continue the solid pitching they have shown throught the tournament. Matsuzaka, who I saw pitch at Coca-Cola Park against my hometown AAA team, was mighty the other night.
Japan were a bit unlucky to lose 1-0 last time vs South Korea.
They made line-up changes against Cuba and I look for them to try to ‘manufacture’ some more runs tonight until the bats wake up.
South Korea has good pitching as well and is probably hitting better than Japan at the moment. It should be an entertaining game.
Whoever loses is not out of the tournament. The loser would have to play Cuba again. The winner goes straight to Pool B Final.
I have game articles, rosters and statistics for all teams at -
lvironpigs.wordpress.com
Japan lost to Korea (4-1).
So, Japan’s game is against Cuba.
Japan 5 Cuba 0
Japan will play South Korea again tonight!
The winner will go to the World Baseball Classic Finals. The losers are out! Now or never…
I wonder if Japan uses Matsuzaka tonight or management counts on beating Japan and saves him for the Final…
Will South Korea start pitcher Jung Keun Bong for the third time against Japan?
Can Japan get their bats going?
Good game for Norichika Aoki of Tokyo Yakult Swallows last night.
Michihiro Ogasawara of Tokyo Yomiuri Giants was involved in key play in the game last night.
South Korea’s relief pitcher Chang Yong Lim plays for Yakult Swallows.
The South Korea – Japan rivalry has been wonderful to enjoy.
Do you know much about Japan’s baseball rivalry with South Korea?
They are rivals in soccer, too, correct? (I am an old college soccer player – I know about J-League. I am a German. I remember when Pierre Littbarski came to play. And Gary Lineker.)
Yes, Japan beat Cuba (5-0)…and now will face Korea for the fourth time.
And, yes, I know Japan’s and South Korea’s sporting teams are always rivals!
Are you German? But you like American baseball? Are American sports popular in Germany?
Japan just beat S. Korea (6-2).
There are only three games left to play in WBC ’09:
1. Korea vs Venezuela
2. Japan vs America
3. The winner of ‘game 1′ vs the winner of ‘game 2′
The winner of the third game is the champion of WBC ’09.
Japan 6 South Korea 2
It’s alot simpler than that -
Japan will play Venezuela in the 2009 WBC Final.
I’m pretty sure Saturday (in America) is the final game. It is from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
I am a German-American. I was born and raised in America. I played soccer, though. Probably because I wasn’t bad. In my region of Pennsylvania, there are lots of ethnic German-Americans. I like about 45 minutes north of Philadelphia.
Baseball isn’t really my favorite game. I like soccer and ice hockey better. I like baseball enough though. My brother and I run our blog to support our local AAA professional team.
My brother used to be press secretary for the United States National Rugby Team.
>I like soccer and ice hockey better.
Has soccer become popular in America?
When I was a kid, Pele was a bit famous…but soccer wasn’t very popular.
And I grew up in Florida, so I never even though about snow or ice sports like ice hockey.
You and I are the same age and you are right, soccer wasn’t popular then. It is much different now than when I played or you first when to live in Japan. Soccer is pretty popular. Not like football or baseball or basketball. But it is alot different from what you would have known…
I remember Ft.Lauderdale Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies of NASL (league Pele played in)
I watched them on TV. I grew up about a hour and a half south of New York City so we got NYC tv and they used to show the Cosmos (Pele’s old club)
————–
You are right about WBC. It is semi-finals now as you said.
I thought US was eliminated and tonight’s game was an elimination.
So Japan play United States Sunday night for me, Monday morning I guess for you.
I need Japan to keep winning.
>You and I are the same age
Are you the same age as me? “Generation X“.
>Soccer is pretty popular.
Is it because Beckham plays there now?
>Tampa Bay Rowdies
I remember that team. I grew up in the Tampa Bay area. The “Rowdies” shared a stadium with the “Buccaneers” American football team.
>You are right about WBC. It is semi-finals now as you said.
Yes. They said that on TV after today’s Japan v. Korea game.
Upset!
No. Japan’s “Samurai-Japan” baseball team is good.
They are the World’s baseball champion team since the WBC ’06 games…and they’re defending their title this year.
Korea beat Venezuela today (10-2).
Tomorrow, Japan plays America….and the winner will play Korea on Tuesday in the final game!
So, the final game will either be Korea vs USA or Korea vs Japan.
And the World Baseball Classic 2009 champions will be either Korea, USA, or Japan…we’ll find out on Tuesday.
Right now, Japan is playing America.
It’s the fifth inning and Japan is winning 6-2.
Japan 9 United States 4
Japan now are in the final versus South Korea!
Fifth and final meeting between the two tomorrow night.
Japanese bats came alive tonight.
Jung Keun Bong, who beat Japan twice already this tournament, will most certainly be South Korea’s starter.
One more game for Japan then I will look like I have a clue sometimes
Yes, Japan beat America 9-4.
Now, the final game is between Japan and Korea.
>Fifth and final meeting between the two tomorrow night.
It’ll be 9:55AM Tuesday morning here in Tokyo when the game starts.
JAPAN 5 SOUTH KOREA 3
extra innings – what a game
3:07 am for me – time for bed, I have to work tomorrow (today)!
“Emperors Continue Reign” is my article
I stayed up to watch Japan win. Working today should be fun with only 3 hours of sleep
“lvironpigs” and “j”….
Thanks for commenting.
So you watched the WBC’09 finals? You must’ve had a hard day the next day with such little sleep!
It was 9:55AM in Japan when the game started.
Maybe they made the time convenient for this side of the world (even though the game was played in America) was because the teams were Japan and Korea—so they made it convenient for our countries.
Anyways, I wrote a post about Japan becoming the baseball champions (again).
Here:
http://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/samurai-japan/
Today sucked
I had class and then I traveled from Saint Petersburg Beach to Holiday for work today.
Maybe you shouldn’t have stayed up late to watch the game! You should’ve video-taped it and watched it later (but be careful not to hear the results on the news beforehand).
No. I’m pretty supersticious. I needed to watch the game or else Japan would have lost. So i deserve a 10,000 origami don’t you think;)
Well, lucky you were watching then, I guess.