TOKYO – The top two teams at the 2024 Premier12 thus far meet Friday night at Tokyo Dome for a chance to book their spot in the Gold Medal game on Sunday. Both sides won their Super Round opener on Thursday, setting up a key matchup between the No. 1 ranked Japan and No. 4 ranked Venezuela.
The Hirokazu Ibata-led Samurai Japan is undefeated this tournament, outscoring their opponents 45-17 in six contests. Meanwhile, Omar Lopez’s Venezuela is 5-1, with their only loss coming against Panama in Group A.
For much of the Venezuelan roster, this is their first time in Japan. But pitcher Yohander Mendez and coach Gerardo Parra provide the team with much-needed experience playing in Tokyo.
“He’s basically been our tour guide since day one,” Lopez said about Parra, who played with the Yomiuri Giants in 2020.
When asked about which Japanese players he’s closely monitoring, Lopez took a holistic approach. “To be honest with you, top to bottom, you have to be careful with every single one of them,” he said. “It’s a good team, it’s the national team of Japan,” added captain Hernan Perez. “We want to compete and play hard.”
With a Japan matchup looming, Venezuela understood that the Super Round opener against Chinese Taipei was a must-win, and they delivered. Lopez managed the bullpen flawlessly, utilizing eight pitchers in a combined shutout, and Carlos Perez’s two-run shot in the fourth inning was enough to make the difference.
Later, Japan stomped the USA with a 9-1 victory, once again pulling away in the late innings as they’ve become accustomed to doing. Youngster Hiroto Takahashi recorded half of Japan’s 16 total strikeouts, and Kaito Kozono was a one-man show at the plate with two homers and seven RBI. It was the Samurai’s 25th consecutive win at major international tournaments dating back to 2019.
But Ibata isn’t concerned about such records.
“We just think in terms of winning the game today,” he said. Of the 25 wins, Atsunori Inaba was at the helm for the first eight, Hideki Kuriyama managed the next seven, and Ibata is perfect in 10 games so far.
The red-hot Venezuelans will be one of Ibata’s biggest tests yet. The Latin American nation has out-homered Japan 9-4 this tournament, boasting a clear advantage in raw power. They also lead the Premier12 with a 1.94 team ERA. That said, Japan’s arms have been more overpowering with 79 strikeouts in 54 innings despite owning a worse ERA at 2.50.
The starting pitchers will be Ricardo Pinto and Hiroto Saiki. Pinto — who has experience in MLB, KBO, and the CPBL — has thrown 10 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in two starts to this point. The 30-year-old relies on a sinker as his main weapon.
Saiki has only made one start, striking out five over 5 2/3 shutout frames against Chinese Taipei last week. The 26-year-old Hanshin Tigers star primarily throws a fastball, splitter, and slider, occasionally mixing in a curveball. His four-seamer, which sits in the low to mid-90s, rated as the best fastball in NPB this year among qualified starters and was tracked with over 2,900 RPM in Taipei.
“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Saiki told reporters. “I wonder how well my stuff will translate.”
Photo: Ricardo Pinto of Venezuela delivers a pitch in his first start of the WBSC Premier12 against Mexico. (Photo Courtesy of WBSC)
