Group Play in Premier12 is complete, and the Super Round begins on Wednesday, November 20. Venezuela and the United States will represent Group A after finishing as the top two teams. After dominating in the first round, Japan and Chinese Taipei will be two teams from Group B in the Super Round. Here is a breakdown of how each team looks heading into the action on Wednesday:
Group A: Venezuela (4-1):
Venezuela finished first in Group A and is advancing to the Super Round for the first time in Premier12 history. Their only loss came in the second game, a 4-2 loss to Panama. Offensively, Hernan Perez, Ehire Adrianza, and Jermaine Palacios carried them to the Super Round, with all three players homering twice in the first five games.
Ricardo Pinto and Mario Sanchez were bright spots in Venezuela’s rotation, combining for 16 innings and striking out 18 batters. Oddanier Mosqueda will also be someone to watch in Venezuela’s bullpen, where he made three appearances, collecting one save and striking out ten batters in four and a third innings.
United States (3-2):
After appearing in both Super Rounds in the 2015 and 2019 editions of Premier12, the United States will this time be looking to bring home its first Premier12 title. Matt Shaw and Chandler Simpson led the way for the USA, as both players collected 11 hits in five games. Shaw led the entire Premier12 with 12 RBIs while also stealing three bases. Ryan Ward also impressed, mashing four home runs in 15 at-bats.
The rotation wasn’t as strong for the United States, but 44-year-old southpaw Rich Hill helped to get the USA to the Super Round. Hill impressed in two starts, tossing six and a third innings, allowing four hits, no earned runs, and striking out nine. Anthony Gose and Spencer Patton didn’t allow any runs in three games pitched during Group Play, combining for four strikeouts in five and a third innings combined.
Group B: Japan (5-0):
The 2019 Premier12 champions, Samurai Japan, went a perfect 5-0 in Group Play. Shota Morishita led Japan in a huge way, hitting .571 in five games, including a home run, and driving in six RBIs. Kotaro Kurebayashi and Shugo Maki both had four RBIs for Japan.
In all five games, Japan used five different starters. Hiroto Saiki didn’t allow any earned runs during his outing, striking out five in five and two-thirds innings. Haruto Inoue made one start in two games, posting a 3.86 ERA and punching out 11 batters in seven innings. The team will also
look to use Hiroto Takahashi, Takahisa Hayakawa, and Shosei Togo as starting pitchers throughout the Super Round.
Shoma Fujihara was electric out of the bullpen for Japan. He made three appearances, pitching three innings and striking out an impressive eight batters while locking down a save. Taisei Ota was also great for Japan, collecting two saves of his own in two opportunities.
Chinese Taipei (4-1):
Dominating the Premier12 competition, Chinese Taipei punched their ticket into the Super Round after a 4-1 finish in Group Play. They made the Super Round in 2019 but did not play in the Bronze medal game after a 2-3 finish. Chen Chieh-Hsien, Pan Chieh-Kai, and Lin Li combined for nine RBIs in the Opening Round, with Chen and Lin hitting home runs.
Huang Tzu-Peng was dominant in two starts for Taipei, allowing no runs, only walking one batter in seven and a third inning while striking out six. Yu-Min Lin also got his first taste of Premier12 action, pitching in Taipei’s first game. He went four and two-thirds, allowing two earned runs on two hits, and struck out three batters.
Chen Kuan-Yu was a workhorse out of the bullpen, throwing in four games without allowing a run in three and two-thirds innings. He also allowed just one hit and struck out four batters. Wu Chun-Wei also locked down three saves in four appearances, striking out five in four innings.
The Super Round will begin on Wednesday, November 20. Venezuela will host Chinese Taipei for the first game, which will start at 10 PM EST at the Tokyo Dome. The following day, the USA will face Japan at 5 AM EST at the Tokyo Dome.
The Bronze medal game is set for November 23 at the Tokyo Dome beginning at 10 PM EST. The championship match is scheduled for November 24, starting at 5 AM EST.
Watch the Premier12 Super Round on DAZN.
