The Japan Breeze made history in the Caribbean Series as the first team outside North and South America to play in the tournament.
However, their performance thus far in their first-ever Caribbean Series has been nothing historic or memorable, as they are 0-2 in Mexicali.
The team’s struggles were apparent in its first game on Saturday against the Dominican Republic. They scored only one run in a 12-1 loss.
This came from the lack of production with runners in scoring position. Japan was just 1-9 when hitting with RISP.
They also had just one player in the lineup get multiple hits, as Tatsuhiko Sato had two hits.
The D.R.’s bullpen proved too much to handle as they gave up only three hits to Japan throughout the last three innings of the game.
On Sunday, Japan found themselves in a closer game against Puerto Rico.
The offense came together a bit in the game, stringing together 10 hits. However, the RISP issues continued to persist.
In this game, Japan went 2-14 with runners in scoring position. This makes them a combined 3-24 in the Caribbean Series in hitting with RISP.
They also struck out a ton in Sunday’s game, with 13 total as a team. Japan would go on to lose the game 3-2.
Their next game is against Mexico on Monday, Feb. 3. The first pitch is at 8 p.m. E.T.
Mexico is currently undefeated in the Caribbean Series at 3-0 after beating the Dominican Republic 2-0 on Sunday.
This year’s Caribbean Series games are available in English on MLB Network and ESPN+.
CLICK HERE for the entire 2025 Caribbean Series schedule.
