Japan Captures Second Consecutive U-23 Baseball World Cup

The WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup wrapped up last night, with Japan shutting out Puerto Rico 5-0 in the World Baseball Championship Final. Japan now repeats as champions for the second consecutive year. Puerto Rico finished with the silver medal, while Nicaragua secured third place, defeating China 3-1, earning their first-ever U-23 World Cup medal.

This is Japan’s third World Title for the U-23 age bracket, also winning in 2016 and 2022. Samurai Japan’s manager, Tomoyasu Kawaguchi, understood the assignment and how fierce the competition was heading into the World Cup. “We understood how to approach these strong hitters, and that was the foundation for our victory,” Kawaguchi said after the game.

As for Puerto Rico, this marks their best result in the Baseball U-23 World Cup. “We hit the ball hard, and I believe we were not lucky. You need to credit Japan; they played very sound baseball,” explained Puerto Rico outfielder Edgardo Villegas. Puerto Rico finished eighth in 2018 and ninth in 2022. They haven’t won a Baseball World Cup since the 1951 edition in Mexico. The Boricuas also honored Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, wearing his number 21 on their World Championship Final uniforms.

After finishing at a fourth-place best in the U-21 World Cup in 2014, Nicaragua put themselves on the map, defeating China in the bronze medal game. They also finished fifth in 2016. They would go on to defeat Cigna in a 3-1 victory. As for China, they were making their country’s debut in the U-23 World Cup, finishing fourth in their first time competing. Also, Great Britain made its U-23 debut, finishing in 11th place. The Netherlands climbed one spot to seventh after finishing eighth in 2022.

The Baseball World Cup Medal Day began early in the day. It had to be closely monitored due to Typhoon Belinda approaching the southern China region and expected to make landfall in the afternoon. The closing ceremony of the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup was completed before rain began to fall.

Here are the final standings from the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup:

1. Japan
2. Puerto Rico
3. Nicaragua
4. China
5. Korea
6. Venezuela
7. Netherlands
8. Chinese Taipei
9. Australia
10. Colombia
11. Great Britain
12. South Africa

Photo Credit: Image Courtesy of WBSC