TOKYO – The Super Round of the 2024 WBSC Premier12 tournament at the Tokyo Dome will start on November 21, with the medal round games played on November 24.
Advancing to the Super Round are World No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei from Group B and No. 4 Venezuela, and No. 5 USA from Group A.
The first game of the Super Round will feature Venezuela and Chinese Taipei at 10 p.m. EST on November 20 and 12 p.m. JST on November 21. The second game of the Super Round between Japan and the United States will be on at 5 a.m. EST and 7 p.m. JST on November 21.
Where to Watch
The bronze medal game is on November 23 at 10 p.m. EST and on November 24 at 12 p.m. JST. The gold medal game of the 2024 Premier12 tournament will be on November 24 at 5 a.m. EST and 7 p.m. JST.
The Super Round will be televised on DAZN with a paid subscription in the United States. The https://gametime.sport/ is another way you can watch through a paid subscription for all the 2024 Premier12 Super Round games.
Tiebreakers
The Team Quality Balance tiebreaker is in effect during the Super Round to determine where the remaining four nations will play in the medal round for the Gold and Bronze Medal games on November 24. The TQB is calculated by dividing the number of runs scored per inning played at bat by the number of runs allowed per inning played on defense.
Head-to-head record against each opponent also counts towards the tie-breaking process for the Premier12 tournament and all World Baseball Softball Confederation events.
Who Are These Guys and How Did They Get Here?
Former Los Angeles Angels skipper Mike Scioscia is the manager for Team USA, Omar Lopez will helm Venezuela, Hirokazu Ibata leads Japan, and Hao-Jiu Tseng is managing Chinese Taipei.
All the players on Venezuela and the United States roster are current free agents or players that are off the 40-man roster with Major League Baseball organizations. The players on the Chinese Taipei roster are from the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan and Japan are from Nippon Professional Baseball.
The United States roster has majority of players that are playing in the minor leagues with MLB organizations and the Venezuela roster has players that are currently playing in the winter professional leagues in the Caribbean and that have played in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol alongside with past MLB organizations.
The Premier12 field was drawn from the top 12 teams in the WBSC’s World Baseball Rankings on December 31, 2023.
Japan and the United States have made it to the Super Round in three Premier12, advancing in 2015 and 2019 prior to the 2024 event.
The Premier12 was supposed to be scheduled for 2023 but was moved to 2024 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and aligning the Tokyo Olympics to be moved from 2020 to 2021 and the World Baseball Classic from 2021 to 2023.
This is the third year that the Premier12 event took place since 2015. The last Premier12 tournament happened in 2019.
Japan, South Korea, Mexico, United States, Chinese Taipei, and Australia made the Super Round in 2019 and Japan, Puerto Rico, Cuba, South Korea, United States, Netherlands, Canada, and Mexico made the Quarterfinals in 2015.
This is the first year that the Super Round of the Premier12 tournament is played with four teams.
South Korea won the gold medal 8-0 against the United States at the 2015 Premier12 and Japan won the gold medal 5-3 against South Korea at the 2019 Premier12.
Kim Hyun-soo won the MVP at the 2015 Premier12 and Seiya Suzuki won the MVP at the 2019 Premier12.
Group A
No. 5 United States (3-2)
Manager – Mike Scioscia
Opening Round Results
November 9 – (W) 1-0 – Puerto Rico
November 10 – (W) 12-2 F/8 – Netherlands
November 11 – (L) 5-3 – Venezuela
November 12 – (W) 9-3 – Panama
November 14 – (W) 12-2 F/7 – Mexico
The United States went 3-2 in Group A in Guadalajara and Tepic, Mexico and Venezuela went 4-1.
The United States is the second seed out of Group A and Venezuela is the first seed. Japan is the first seed out of Group B and Chinese Taipei is the second seed.
The United States pitching staff combined for a 3-2 record with a 2.41 ERA, throwing 41 innings, allowing 32 hits, five doubles, six home runs, 43 ground outs, 28 fly outs, 11 earned runs, eight walks, and 48 strikeouts.
Twenty-year MLB veteran left-handed pitcher Rich Hill has made two starts in Group A throwing 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, no earned runs, two walks, and nine strikeouts.
Reliever Antonio Menendez is 2-0 out of the bullpen, throwing 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, no earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts, while facing 16 batters in Group A.
United States third baseman Matt Shaw is leading the Premier12 tournament with 12 RBIs and hitting .579 while playing in five games in Group A in 19 at-bats, scoring six runs, 11 hits, one double, one triple, two home runs, three stolen bases, two walks, and three strikeouts. Shaw had four hits against the Netherlands on November 10 in five at-bats with scoring three runs, one double, one home run and seven RBI.
Designated hitter Ryan Ward has the most home runs at this year’s Premier12 with four entering the Super Round. Ward, in five games, is hitting .333 across 15 at-bats with five runs scored, five hits, 10 RBIs, one walk, and six strikeouts.
Ward is leading the Premier12 event with a 1.133 slugging percentage.
United States right fielder Chandler Sampson is batting .550 in five games with 20 at-bats, scoring seven runs, 11 hits, one double, three RBI, swiping six bases, three walks, and no strikeouts.
USA center fielder Justin Crawford has played five games with 18 at-bats, hitting .333, scoring two runs, six hits, three doubles, one home run, three RBI, one stolen base, two walks, and one strikeout.
No. 4 Venezuela (4-1)
Manager – Omar Lopez
Opening Round Results
November 9 – (W) 8-4 – Mexico
November 10 – (L) 4-2 – Panama
November 11 – (W) 5-3 – United States
November 13 – (W) 5-2 – Puerto Rico
November 14 – (W) 11-0 F/7 – Netherlands
Venezuela’s pitching staff is 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA and has recorded two saves, throwing 42 innings, allowing 28 hits, three doubles, two triples, five home runs, 11 earned runs, 33 ground outs, 34 fly outs, 15 walks, and 57 strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Mario Sanchez has a 1-0 record with a 1.50 ERA in one start, throwing six innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, one home run, no walks, and 10 strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Ricardo Pinto is 2-0 in his two starts throwing 10 innings, allowing six hits, no earned runs, three walks, and eight strikeouts.
Relief pitcher Oddanier Mosqueda has a 2.08 ERA with three games out of the bullpen and no decisions with one save, throwing 4.1 innings, allowing one hit, one earned run, one home run, no walks, and 10 strikeouts.
Second baseman Ehire Adrianza is hitting .444 during his four games with two starts and has had nine at-bats with three runs scored, four hits, one double, two home runs, three RBI, two walks, and two strikeouts.
First baseman Carlos Perez has started in four games with 16 at-bats and is batting .375, scoring two runs, rocking six hits, one RBI, no walks, one hit-by-pitch, and one strikeout.
Designated hitter Hernan Perez has started two games hitting .857 in seven at-bats, scoring four runs, smacking six hits, two doubles, two home runs, three RBI, no walks, and no strikeouts.
Group B
No. 2 Chinese Taipei (4-1)
Manager – Hao-Jiu Tseng
Opening Round Results
November 13 – (W) 6-3 – South Korea
November 14 – (W) 2-1 – Dominican Republic
November 16 – (L) 3-1 – Japan
November 17 – (W) 11-3 – Australia
November 18 – (W) 2-0 – Cuba
Chinese Taipei went 4-1 to qualify for the Super Round. Chinese Taipei’s pitching staff is 4-1 with a 1.30 ERA, recording three saves, throwing 45 innings, allowing 27 hits, nine earned runs, seven doubles, four home runs, 49 ground outs, 35 fly outs, nine walks, and 47 strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Tzu-Peng Huang made two starts against the Dominican Republic on November 14 and Cuba on November 18 and has a 1-0 record, throwing 7.1 innings, allowing no earned runs, no hits, one walk, and six strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Chun-Lin Kuo started one game against Australia and threw 3.2 innings, posting a 2.45 ERA, allowing five hits, one earned run, one home run, one walk, and five strikeouts.
Relief pitcher Kuan-Yu Chen has made four appearances out of the bullpen and has not allowed an earned run, while throwing 3.2 innings, allowing one hit, no walks, and four strikeouts.
Center fielder Chieh-Hsien Chen started four games in Group B and is hitting .571 in 14 at-bats, scoring four runs, ripping eight hits, one home run, three RBI, swiping two bases, four walks, and one strikeout.
Chen is leading the Premier12 tournament with a .667 OBP.
Third baseman Chieh-Kai Pan has played in five games with 18 at-bats, one run scored, rocking seven hits, one double, one RBI, one walk, and two strikeouts with a .389 batting average.
Right fielder Li Lin is batting .353 in four games with 17 at-bats, four runs scored, six hits, one double, one home run, five RBI, no walks, and three strikeouts.
No. 1 Japan (5-0)
Manager – Hirokazu Ibata
Opening Round Results
November 13 – (W) 9-3 – Australia
November 15 – (W) 6-3 – South Korea
November 16 – (W) 3-1 – Chinese Taipei
November 17 – (W) 7-6 – Cuba
November 18 – (W) 11-3 – Dominican Republic
Japan has won 24 consecutive major international tournament games going into the Super Round at the 2024 Premier12 tournament. Japan went 5-0 in Group B in Taiwan and has not lost since the 2019 Premier12 event, when they fell against the United States 4-3 at the Tokyo Dome in the Super Round on November 12, 2019.
Japan’s pitching staff is 5-0 with a 2.80 ERA and recorded three saves, throwing 45 innings, allowing 38 hits, 14 earned runs, 39 ground outs, 29 fly outs, nine walks, and 63 strikeouts.
Japan starting pitcher Haruto Inoue is 2-0 in his two starts and pitched against Australia on November 13 and the Dominican Republic on November 18 combining with a 3.86 ERA, throwing seven innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs, one walk, and 11 strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Hiroto Saiki has a 1-0 record with beating Chinese Taipei on November 16 in his one start, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing three hits, no earned runs, two walks, and five strikeouts.
Relief pitcher Shoma Fujihira appeared in three games out of the bullpen, recording one save, throwing three innings, allowing two hits, no earned runs, no walks, and eight strikeouts.
Right fielder Shota Morishita is hitting .571 in five games with 14 at-bats, scoring 10 runs, ripping eight hits, two doubles, one home run, six RBI, one stolen base, four walks, two hit-by-pitches, and one strikeout.
Third baseman Ryoya Kurihara played in four games and is batting .308 with 13 at-bats, scoring three runs, four hits, one double, four RBI, four walks, one hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts.
Second baseman Kaito Kozono is hitting .368 in four games with 19 at-bats, scoring one run, cracking seven hits, one RBI, one walk, and two strikeouts.
2024 Premier12 Super Round Schedule
All Games Are Played at Tokyo Dome
Eastern Standard Time
November 20
10 p.m. – Chinese Taipei vs. Venezuela
November 21
5 a.m. – United States vs. Japan
10 p.m. – Chinese Taipei vs. United States
November 22
5 a.m. – Venezuela vs. Japan
10 p.m. – USA vs. Venezuela
November 23
5 a.m. – Chinese Taipei vs. Japan
10 p.m. – Bronze Medal Game
November 24
5 a.m. – Gold Medal Game
Japan Standard Time
November 21
Noon – Chinese Taipei vs. Venezuela
7 p.m. – United States vs. Japan – 5 a.m. EST/7 p.m. JST
November 22
Noon – Chinese Taipei vs. United States
7 p.m. – Venezuela vs. Japan
November 23
Noon – USA vs. Venezuela
7 p.m. – Chinese Taipei vs. Japan
November 24
12 p.m. – Bronze Medal Game
7 p.m. – Gold Medal Game
WBSC Premier12 Tournament Results
2015
Gold – South Korea
Silver – United States
Bronze – Japan
Fourth Place – Mexico
2019
Gold – Japan
Silver – South Korea
Bronze – Mexico
Fourth Place – United States
