Fifth, we introduce the team that was the first to be committed for this Baseball Week Haarlem: Japan. The Japanese team has been a fixture at Baseball Week for many years. Since 1990, “Samurai Japan” missed only one edition, and in total the country closed the tournament as the overall winner four times (1978, ’92, ’94 and 2018).
CHAMPIONS
Although not all Americans will agree, as reigning Asian, Olympic and world champions, Japan is currently the baseball country of choice and thus one of the top favorites for the final victory in Haarlem; even if traveling to Haarlem with a student team.
Indeed, like America, do not expect Japan to be the stars of their top league, Nippon Professional Baseball. As in previous editions, the country will enter this Baseball Week with a college team. It did not stop them from winning Baseball Week for the fourth time six years ago, after the country lost the final on the two editions before that.
BASEBALL WEEK 2022
Two years ago, the Japanese initially seemed to be well on their way to prolonging their title when they won the first three games. Especially defensively, they were supreme. For the first seventeen innings, they even kept the zero on the scoreboard, until Cuba finally broke the spell in the third game — games of seven innings were played in 2022.
After the Kingdom team was also dealt a solid defeat (5-0) in the last group game, Japan went into the semi-final game against the same opponent as outright favorites, but Lars Huijer kept his team in the race and in the last inning the narrow lead of the young Asians was still turned around by the home team.
SMALL BALL
Japanese are fond of baseball. Ninety million viewers in the country tuned in to the final of the World Baseball Classic, in which in the end “their” Shohei Ohtani won the battle against the America of his now former teammate Mike Trout. It was the third time in five WBCs that Japan proved the best at this unofficial world championship. The one American title stands out.
As masters of the small ball, then, in Haarlem we can expect hard-to-hit pitchers, excellent fielding and plenty of action on the bases. The college players traveling to our country in a few weeks will be no exception. With their spectacular play and enthusiasm, they often capture the hearts of the audience, so sit back and take notice when they are in action for the first time at Pim Mulier Stadium on July 12.