Japan beat Chinese Taipei 2-0 in Monday’s first game of the 2024 Honkbalweek Haarlem. After the game was originally postponed due to rain, viewers were treated to a tight, low-scoring affair.
Japan’s Yuya Fujii earned the win for the Japanese squad after coming in for starter Tatsuki Ito who had four innings of clean baseball. It was a pitcher’s duel between Japan starter Ito and Fuji against Chinese Taipei’s Huang Zi-Hao, who was attributed the loss but looked solid in 5.2 Innings of work.
Early in the game, neither team could get the bats going. That was until Japan struck in the bottom of the fourth with a single from lefty Taiga Kojima to give Japan an early 1-0 lead. They mounted another good inning, but left two runners stranded in the fifth.
In the 6th, they added an insurance run. Again, it was Kojima, with a solo home run over the right field wall.
After Kojima’s second RBI of the day, Chinese Taipei had work to do and little time to do it. They put a runner on in the 7th, however nothing came from it.
Tasuku Ichikawa came in and earned the save, shutting the team in white down for the next three innings and sealing the victory for his squad.
Japan moves to 3-0 while Chinese Taipei moves to 1-2. Japan looks to be a force to watch this Honkbalweek event and Chinese Taipei will take on the United States later today.
Follow the Honkbalweek Haarlem event here at the World Baseball Network all week, and watch along at honkball.tv.
Photo Credit: Harlem Honkbalweek (David Mulder)
