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TOKYO – Thirteen years. It's been 13 years and 242 major league starts since Yu Darvish was last called up from the bullpen. When the left-hander was last called up, Darvish was just 23 years old with the Nippon-Ham Fighters with dreams of playing in the big leagues.
On Thursday night he faced Italy in the quarter-finals, sending the team to Miami with a win and a place in the semifinals. Manager Hideki Kuriyama turned to Team Japan's veteran star - who has become a mentor to the young pitchers around him - in Japan's 9-3 win over Italy.
Even though Japan led by five runs in the seventh inning when the Padres starter came on, Kuriyama took no chances. A must-win game can fall apart quickly if you give your opponent the slightest chance, and the Japanese are not taking any chances.
Shohei Ohtani's fastest shot
March 16, 2023 12:17
Shohei Ohtani's fastest shot
Darvish quickly fined the first batsman he faced en route to retirement in Italy. He hit a home run to Dominic Fletcher in eighth place but cleared his two frames instead. Pairing him with Shohei Ohtani (4 2/3 innings, two runs, one walk, five strikeouts; he went 1-2 with two runs) is the kind of unfair advantage that makes you wonder if Japan had a World Series game dropping into a classic baseball.
"It's an honor as a manager to have that kind of throwing depth — not just our starters, but our great second basemen," Kuriyama said before the game. "Most of our players are capable of playing at the premier league level. I believe that."
Darvish and Ohtani may be making headlines, but Team Japan's most overlooked player helped them achieve it. In a roster filled with the likes of Ohtani, Lars Nutbar, new Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, and record holder Munetaka Murakami, it's easy to forget that Kazuma Okamoto is a two-time All-Star with five straight 30-plus masters. House. ran for five seasons.
Playing in front of his usual hometown crowd, the Yomiuri Giants player hit a three-run home run in the final third and added a two-run double in the fifth to help Italy break free.
Japan now plays the winner of the Puerto Rico-Mexico game in Miami on Monday (7pm ET, FS1). For Italy, their tournament may be over, but this team of mustaches, espresso and big wins make up the World Baseball Classic. Mike Piazza will now look forward to this fall's European Championships in the Czech Republic and the 2026 World Baseball Classic.