Czechia VS. Japan 2026 World Baseball Classic | Game Highlights

Come on from Japan and the final day of Pool C at the 2026 World Baseball Classic Samurai Japan against Czechia. And even though Japan and Korea have already clinched their spot in Miami and even though Czechia already relegated tonight will surely be a celebration. The bond forged between these two countries through this sport. Starting on the mound for Japan it's the right hander Hiroto Takahashi. Twenty three years old and he pitches for the Tunichi Dragons in MPB. Klup two for eight so far in the classic. A couple of walks. It's one hard left centerfield gap. It's down for a hit. Cut off there by Morishita. Manaklup has himself a two out single. Takahashi's got gas. Two K's and a scoreless first. Andre Satoria back on the bump in the WBC against Samurai Japan. The final game in a Czech national team uniform for Satoria. Sato shoots it to left field. That is down. He makes the turnaround first heading for second. He will have it standing up a one out double with no Otani and no Seiya Suzuki and no Kensuke Kondo. Munetaka Murakami batting in the three spot. Murakami lifts it to right centerfield. Klup on the warning track. That one drops before the wall. Sato is going to tag from second and head over to the third. Two outs runner on third Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida hammers it to right field but there's Prada. This came off the end of the bat. No score after one going to the second. Bottom of the second about to begin. Okamoto Kozono and Shuto. Five six and seven due up for Japan against Satoria. Okamoto down swinging and Satoria is at it again. Big arm at 78 71. How about a 72. Warmed up looking for more as you're used to this competition. Now when Satoria pumps his fastball in there it barely gets to 80. This bouncy ball right side underneath the glove of Robert just got a piece of it. One out single for Kaito Kozono. Hiroshi you said 80 80. And yet this is a pitcher who has nicknames for every one of his pitches. Would you like to guess what his nickname is for said fastball. It's the cannon. Satoria's payoff. Strike three swinging throw to second. He's out. Strike him out. Throw him out. And turn the lights out. Andres Satoria. The other day when Ohtani I asked him when he was going to be throwing a live BP or a power bullpen. He goes well live BP planning on Miami. If we get this. With pool C already wrapped up and with his throwing scheduled today that leading to Ohtani having this particular game off. Otherwise he'd be on deck top of the order. Instead it's right now Taisei Makihara. Swing and a miss. Strike three. Punch out number three for Andres Satoria. Teruaki Sato one for one with the double. Swinging tapper right back to the mound. Fielded perfectly by Satoria who finishes the inning. Three zeros against Japan. Talking about Takahashi's profile and his numbers. Four-seam fastball averaged 94 and a half last year. His 90th percentile in the NDP. Before he came out to the mound for this inning Shohei Ohtani came out onto the field down the right field line. He was warming up. Teruaki Sato. No it's not your new ball boy. It's Shohei Ohtani in the fan. Oh no. Do it again Shohei. Okay yes yes. Lifetime memory and that kid might turn into a local celebrity. Yes. No. Yes. See it's already happening. One two. Ground ball to third. Okamoto to second. Here's the turn. In time for two. Just like that the leadoff walk wiped away. Got him swinging. That strikeout number five to finish the fourth for Takahashi. Here's the thing we talk about Satoria in 2023 against Ohtani. Understandably so. You punch out the best player on the planet on three pitches. That's going to garner the headlines. But he had four strikeouts in that game. Handled the top of the entire order for someone on Japan. Large new part of the card. Ohtani. Kensuke Kondo and Munetaka Murakami all went down via the strikeout against Satori. Q shot. Yoshida and it spins back fair. That's where you know you're hot. He's going to whisk up the matchup and smile heading back to first base. A one out infield single that barely made it halfway up the third baseline. Beautiful moment by Bowe. Look at how far that ball was. He cannot script that. Kazuma Okamoto got a Golden Glove award in his NPB trophy case. Now with the bat waiting on a 3-1. Hangs back and launches it high in the air to left field at the wall. Escala. He jumps. Can't make it. It's off the wall. Yoshida slides into third. It's a one out double for Kazuma Okamoto. First runs of the game in scoring position. One out for Samurai Japan in the fourth. To the right side. Satori is coming home and Yoshida is caught in a rundown. Chervenka reaches out and tags him. Going for second Gozono. He is safe. Well how about that. The one face of their game that just had not shown up. The defensive side shows up today and it starts with Satori. Flows a distance Chervenka and almost gets the guy to second base. First pitch grounded to second and that ends the inning. Second and third. One out. Satori shuts him down. Andre Satori has returned for the bottom of the fifth inning facing Samurai Japan on the heels of four shutout innings. Nakamura line drive base hit left field just out of the reach of a diving Chervenka at third. Isay Makihara bunts it down. Satori fields throws the first in time to get Makihara by a step. Nakamura in scoring position with one out pitch count at 62. This is the final hitter for Andre Satori. Talk to him today. How are you feeling? I feel good. I'm going to go out against the best and I'm not going to make it easy on them. I promise you that. It's hit high in the air. Left field side. Escala in foul ground. Escala jumps and makes the catch. How about this moment for this country and for that gentleman. And the ovation for Andre Satori. The bow from his manager Pavel Hedin. Build the statue in Ostrava for Andre Satori, a Czech baseball legend. Into the late innings in the Tokyo Dome and in the final game of Pool C, Samurai Japan still without a run against Czechia. Brown ball left side. Okamoto has it, spins and fires. Oh baby, what a play. He's been outstanding going to his left, spinning, very accurate arm, setting his feet. Big man. This was Masataka Yoshida's spot in the order starting the game. It's now Kenya Watanabe Wakatsuki. Pinch hit for the Boston Red Sox. Line down the line, fair ball toward the corner. Sato is being weighed home to a late stop sign. Ball dribbling through the infield. Here comes Sato and he scores. And once again, the Czech defense leading UBC and it leads directly to Samurai Japan's first run. One nothing in the bottom of the eighth. Ball four in the dirt. Iwala nearing the end of his road at 59 pitches. Center fielder, one for three. The stolen base. Al Shuto gives one a ride to right field. It is gone. Ukyo Shuto known for speed with the legs. The ball got out in a hurry. Insurance for Japan for nothing. All the creme comes and rises to the top again and it doesn't matter which part of the order, how it's going to come from. Shuto with a running swing runs right into the wheelhouse to get the ball exactly where it needed to be. Three straight two out base runners. A couple of singles now. The walk and the hitting prolongs as they're now passing the baton. He draws a bases loaded walk. Five nothing now. They're still loaded. Mutakami with a two-one pitch. Mutakami crushed right center. They needed his but the last year well they're in good hands with Munetaka getting hot. Down to the final out in the top of the ninth. Nine nothing Samurai Japan. Closes out pool C with a punch out. Japan undefeated. Heading to the knockout stage where it hopes to defend its WBC championship title.