Japan crush Taiwan to advance with Koreans

By Dan Sloan

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan mauled Taiwan 14-3 on Saturday
behind Hitoshi Tamura’s slugging, giving the Asian hosts a spot
in the next round of the World Baseball Classic.

Tamura’s three-run blast to left field in the first inning
drove in Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Kosuke Fukudome to propel
Japan’s charge in a game called on the mercy rule after seven
innings.

In Saturday’s first game, slugger Lee Seung-yeop blasted
two home runs to lead South Korea to a 10-1 rout over China
that gave the Koreans a place in the WBC’s second round later
this month.

Japan scored insurance runs in the second and third innings
against Taiwan on Fukudome’s sacrifice and a single by Munenori
Kawasaki, but sealed the outcome with six runs in the fifth.

Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka went four innings for the win,
while Taiwan starter Hsu Chu-chien took the loss.

Pool A hosts Japan have racked up 32 runs in their first
two games after an 18-2 blow-out of China on Friday that was
called after eight innings.

Taiwan scored on a balk by Matsuzaka that allowed Chang
Tai-shan to score in the second inning and added two runs off
of Japanese reliever Hiroyuki Kobayashi in the sixth.

But Japan’s dominance was never in doubt in front of 31,000
at Tokyo Dome.

“I hit that home-run smack on the sweet spot,” said Tamura,
referring to his go-ahead shot. “It was important to get runs
on the board early to set the tone.

“We want to finish with a win over Korea and carry that
momentum in America.”

KOREANS CRUISE

South Korea’s victory, a day after beating Taiwan 2-0,
secured a berth in the second round of the 16-nation
tournament, to be played in California in mid-March.

Lee started off the rout in the bottom of the first inning,
his sacrifice fly bringing home Lee Jong-beom in front of a
disappointing crowd of around 4,000.

The left-handed designated hitter belted a two-run homer in
the bottom of the third inning after Lee Byung-kyu had doubled
in Kim Jong-kook to stretch the lead to 4-0.

He then added a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth
to cap the scoring, driving in five RBIs as South Korea
finished with 18 hits to China’s two.

China’s Shuo Yang belted a solo home run to account for his
team’s only score, a day after being pummeled by Asian
favorites Japan.

Pitcher Son Min-han, the 2005 Korean Baseball League MVP,
picked up the win after giving up one hit and striking out
three over four innings, while China’s Kun Chen took the loss.

China play Taiwan while Japan take on South Korea in the
final round of Asian games on Sunday.