South Korea won the final of the first-ever World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 competition last night, thumping the US 8-0.
The scoring in the decisive five-run fourth inning started with left fielder Kim Hyun-soo’s two-RBI double down the right-field line.
That made the score 4-0 after center fielder Lee Yong-yu’s double to left center brought second baseman Jeong Keun-woo home in the first and Lee scored after an initial Kim double in the third.
Photo: Reuters
Then, with men on second and third in the fifth frame, first baseman Park Byun-gho homered down the left-field line to make the lead seven and the game all but secure.
Starter Kim Kwang-hyun pitched five innings of four-hit ball, while the US’ Brooks Pounders took the brunt of the offense, giving up five runs on four hits over 1-2/3 innings.
The result was at odds with the teams’ rankings; the US entering the competition as world No. 2 and had a 3-2 win in their Pool B game at the Tianmu Baseball Stadium between the two sides, while South Korea were ranked No. 8.
Photo: AP
Earlier, also at the Tokyo Dome, Japan defeated Mexico in the third-place playoff, needing only seven innings in their 11-1 win.
After their painful semi-final loss to South Korea on Thursday, the hosts belted five home runs, with Shogo Akiyama’s two-run shot in the seventh ending the contest on the mercy rule.
Two home runs by Tetsuto Yamada and two-RBI homers by Sho Nakata and Nobuhiro Matsuda made the score 8-0 after only two innings.
Mexico’s only score came through Juan Perez, who hit a solo home run off Tomoyuki Sugano in the sixth.
Sugano was given the win for three innings of one-hit ball, while starter Shota Takeda had the same numbers, but without conceding a run.
However, Japan are likely to be rueing opportunities lost after leading all the way until the final inning in their semi-final, only to come unglued and have to watch South Korea’s demolition of the US.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
VALUABLE POINT: Relegation-threatened Valencia snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw at CA Osasuna thanks to a remarkable backheel volley by Umar Sadiq Barcelona on Sunday secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to move back top of La Liga. Aritz Elustondo’s early red card gave Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable afternoon, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski on the score sheet. Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to temporarily knock the Catalans from their perch, while Real Madrid, third, lost at Real Betis Balompie. Flick was able to rotate his side a little ahead of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 visit to face SL Benfica tomorrow and still move one point above Atletico. “There were a lot of things that
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
RSS