Fifth, we introduce the team that was the first to be confirmed for this year’s Baseball Week Haarlem: Japan. The Japanese team has been a regular participant at Baseball Week for many years. Since 1990, “Samurai Japan” has missed only one edition, and the country has won the tournament four times (1978, ’92, ’94, and 2018).
CHAMPIONS
Although not all Americans will agree, as the reigning Asian, Olympic, and world champions, Japan is currently the top baseball nation and thus one of the top favorites to win the title in Haarlem—even though they are traveling to Haarlem with a student team.
In fact, just like the United States, don’t expect Japan to be the standout team in its top league, Nippon Professional Baseball. As in previous editions, the country will enter this Baseball Week with a college team. That didn’t stop them from winning Baseball Week for the fourth time six years ago, after the country had lost the final in the two editions prior to that.
BASEBALL WEEK 2022
Two years ago, the Japanese initially appeared to be well on their way to defending their title after winning the first three games. Their defense, in particular, was outstanding. For the first seventeen innings, they even kept the score at zero, until Cuba finally broke the streak in the third game—the games in 2022 were seven innings long.
After the Kingdom team also suffered a decisive defeat (5-0) in their final group stage game, Japan entered the semifinal against the same opponent as clear favorites, but Lars Huijer kept his team in the running, and in the final inning, the home team managed to overturn the young Asian team’s narrow lead.
SMALL BALL
The Japanese love baseball. Ninety million viewers across the country tuned in to the World Baseball Classic final, in which “their” Shohei Ohtani ultimately prevailed over the U.S. team led by his now former teammate Mike Trout. It was the third time in five WBCs that Japan had emerged victorious in this unofficial world championship. The U.S.’s sole title stands out.
As masters of the small ball, then, we can expect pitchers who are tough to hit, excellent fielding, and plenty of action on the bases in Haarlem. The college players traveling to our country in a few weeks will be no exception. With their spectacular play and enthusiasm, they often win over the crowd, so sit back and watch closely when they take the field for the first time at Pim Mulier Stadium on July 12.