Japan are set to face Czechia in the World Baseball Classic. The game at Tokyo Dome is a celebration of global baseball.
Match Details
The match will take place on Tuesday at 6 a.m. ET at the Tokyo Dome. That’s 7 p.m. local time.
You can watch the game on FS1 in the United States. In Japan, the game will stream on Netflix. There is a free English-language audio stream available for every game.
Team Form
Japan are currently 3-0 and aiming to finish pool play undefeated. Czechia have not won a game in the tournament.
Starting Pitchers
Ondřej Satoria is the probable starting pitcher for Czechia. Hiroto Takahashi is the probable starting pitcher for Japan.
Satoria’s Success
Satoria is an electrical technician in Ostrava, Czech Republic. He became a viral sensation after striking out Ohtani in 2023. He calls his changeup “the worker”.
He used it to strike out Ohtani, Munetaka Murakami and Lars Nootbaar. He pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings against Australia in this tournament. Satoria’s fastball barely crests 80 mph.
Takahashi’s Talent
Takahashi is one of Japan’s most promising young starters. He trains with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the offseason. Takahashi pairs a blazing fastball with killer offspeed stuff.
After posting a 1.38 ERA for the Chunichi Dragons in 2024, he had a down year last season. His ERA rose to 2.83. He appeared in relief in the 2023 Classic, striking out Paul Goldschmidt and Mike Trout in the championship game.
Looking Ahead
Japan have clinched a quarterfinals berth and will be hopping on a plane to Miami when this game is over. Czechia will finish last, even if it pulls off one of the game’s greatest upsets, and is ticketed for a Qualifier.