Japan’s defence of their Classic title begins against Chinese Taipei. The game promises a great atmosphere. The Tokyo Dome fans are expected to turn out for Samurai Japan, with the ōendan pounding taiko drums, playing horns and cheering. Chinese Taipei fans have also turned up in large numbers.
The atmosphere will be one you can only find in Asian baseball and will surely make for a magical night.
Match Details
The game is scheduled for Friday at the Tokyo Dome. First pitch is at 5 a.m. ET (7 p.m. local). In America, the game will be available on FS1 and in Japan on Netflix. There is also a free English-language audio stream available.
Team Form
Japan are looking to not just win back-to-back titles but to go undefeated once again. Chinese Taipei need to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Australia. While a loss would not eliminate them mathematically, it would be nearly impossible to advance without a victory against the reigning champions.
The Pitchers
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the probable starting pitcher for Japan. RHP Hao-Chun Cheng is expected to start for Chinese Taipei.
Yamamoto is returning to the World Baseball Classic after his hero-making turn at the World Series. He struck out 12 batters in 7 1/3 innings while posting a 2.45 ERA in ’23. He’s expected to pitch three innings in this one.
Cheng pitched briefly in the affiliated Minors and the American Association, an MLB Partner League, in 2022 before returning to play for the CTBC Brothers of the CPBL. He won the 2023 CPBL Rookie of the Year Award after going 9-5 with a 3.02 ERA before missing all of 2024. He returned to make 11 starts last year, posting a 1.49 ERA in 54 1/3 innings. His fastball can reach the mid-90s.
What’s At Stake
Japan are heavily favoured. They are looking to start their tournament off with a victory as almost everyone expects the team to reach the quarterfinals with ease.
Chinese Taipei need a victory to keep a realistic chance of advancing alive.
Matchup History
The last time these two teams played, Chinese Taipei emerged with a 4-0 victory to win the Premier12. The win snapped Japan’s 27-game international winning streak. The Japanese team didn’t have Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Yamamoto or Shohei Ohtani. A victory for Chinese Taipei could be considered one of the biggest upsets in WBC history.
Japan begins its title defense against Chinese Taipei, looking to not just win back-to-back titles but to go undefeated once again.