Japan started a 22-year-old pitcher named Yu Darvish. In four innings of work, he struck out three, walked one, and held China hitless, earning the eventual win. This kid is totally legit and I believe it is only a matter of time until he is making headlines as a frontline starter here in the United States. Dice-K is good. But Darvish can be better. He may already be better. He throws hard (topping out at about 96-97mph at times), and has a good, tight slider. And his 6'5" frame atop the mound, along with his long arms and legs, give him the look of a prototypical ace.
Overall, Japan did what they should have done, which was to win the game. But they had some trouble scoring. They missed multiple opportunities with men in scoring position to get the big hit. I don't think that they'll repeat as WBC champions, but I'm not counting them out either. They have a tremendous amount of pride, and they know how to play the game. They will definitely be in the mix, and if they don't take the championship, whoever does, will likely have to beat them head to head.
Lastly, I don't know what it was, but I really liked their batting helmets. Nicely shaped, with a matte finish, almost like a hard version of their ball caps. It also looked like the team logo was stitched, a la the Chicago Cubs.
Today I'm going to watch the replay of the game that took place early this morning, and if I have any thoughts, I'll share them.
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