W-OLF
03-20-2006, 07:07 PM
Japan Vs. Cuba for Baseball Title Tonight
Published: 3/20/06, 7:45 AM EDT
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Japan faces Cuba tonight for the title in the first World Baseball Classic.
Even with Cuba's decades-long history of international success, its players kept hearing people doubt they could do it against teams loaded with major league talent. They wound up a surprising finalist in the first World Baseball Classic - against a Japanese team boasting just two major leaguers.
"We have played in World Cups, world championships and Olympics," Cuban outfielder Frederich Cepeda said. "The message is already out there. ... In Cuba, baseball is the No. 1 sport. People in Cuba had their doubts about us coming and about the results."
Now, they're making their mark in the United States playing in a fancy new downtown stadium.
The virtually unknown Cubans, with their deep pitching staff and undeniable spirit, have won all but two of their last 24 games in international play - with one of those losses coming to Japan in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The Cubans are a confident bunch who consider themselves amateurs despite their fame back home. They advanced to Monday night's championship with an emotional 3-1 victory over the Dominican Republic on Saturday while wearing their lucky red uniforms for the second time this tournament. Japan then avenged two earlier WBC losses to South Korea and won 6-0 in the second semifinal.
"In terms of Cuba, I have no idea what to expect," said Japan's Ichiro Suzuki, the Seattle Mariners' star leadoff hitter and right fielder. "I don't know any of their names. The fact they've come this far shows they are a team with serious potential."
And credentials. Cuba won last year's World Cup, the 2004 Olympic title and the 2003 Pan American Games championship.
But upstaging the United States' superstar roster featuring highly paid New York Yankees Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez? Not to mention defeating the Dominican squad with reigning NL MVP Albert Pujols and AL Cy Young award winner Bartolo Colon.
"This was very unexpected," Cuba's Yoandy Garlobo said. "Everything is possible. Nothing is impossible."
There was a flurry of speculation Sunday that a Cuban player had defected, though Major League Baseball and Cuban officials quickly nixed that.
"No, there is no defection," Cuban spokesman Pedro Cabrera said after the team went through informal weight training and drills at Petco Park. "The Cuban team is in very high spirits. The aspirations from when we left Havana have been multiplied."
MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said he visited the Cuban clubhouse Sunday and saw no signs of disarray, though acknowledged "I didn't count heads."
The teams waited to settle on their starting pitchers until the last possible moment. Cuba was deciding between two options, though Ormari Romero's turn would be up after the right-hander beat Puerto Rico in the second round to clinch a spot in the semifinals. Vicyhoandry Odelin and Yunieski Maya were other top choices to pitch.
Japan was likely to go with right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, who led the Pacific League with 215 innings and 226 strikeouts for the Seibu Lions last year. Matsuzaka aspires to play in the United States and would like to use this as an audition for major league scouts.
For the Cubans, the unusually cool weather in Southern California has been challenging. The temperature was 58 degrees at first pitch for their game Saturday, and players wore blue undershirts beneath their jerseys. Pitchers warmed up in jackets.
After an impressive team pitching effort from Yadel Marti, who worked 12 2-3 shutout innings in four Classic appearances, and hard-throwing Pedro Lazo in the semifinal victory, the Cubans will try to slow down a Japan offense that has been the most productive in the Classic. Ichiro has a seven-game WBC hitting streak and had three hits, two stolen bases and an RBI against previously unbeaten South Korea. Kosuke Fukudome added a pinch-hit, two-run homer.
Even Ichiro, typically all business as he goes about his daily routine, has shown more emotion during this event. He's had fun, too, waving to fans from the outfield and welcoming the boos from the South Korean fans - saying Sunday "they didn't boo me hard enough."
"I'm really proud that I'm only one of two players from major league baseball in the final game," he said through a translator. "I sense MLB is hurting a little bit. ... I do have the Japanese flag on my shoulder. That might be the reason I became more emotional during these games."
Akinori Otsuka, a former Padres reliever now with the Texas Rangers, is the other major leaguer for Japan.
This is certainly not the final matchup everybody envisioned, with the Dominicans and Team USA clear favorites from the start.
It just goes to show the tournament truly is the "Clasico Mundial de Beisbol" - the WORLD Baseball Classic - not another version of the American All-Star game.
Still, the absent major leaguers were on people's minds.
One American journalist mistook Ichiro for Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui.
"Hey, I'm not Hideki, I'm Ichiro," he said.
No doubt the Cubans know his name even if he doesn't yet know theirs.
credit BellSouth
Published: 3/20/06, 7:45 AM EDT
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Japan faces Cuba tonight for the title in the first World Baseball Classic.
Even with Cuba's decades-long history of international success, its players kept hearing people doubt they could do it against teams loaded with major league talent. They wound up a surprising finalist in the first World Baseball Classic - against a Japanese team boasting just two major leaguers.
"We have played in World Cups, world championships and Olympics," Cuban outfielder Frederich Cepeda said. "The message is already out there. ... In Cuba, baseball is the No. 1 sport. People in Cuba had their doubts about us coming and about the results."
Now, they're making their mark in the United States playing in a fancy new downtown stadium.
The virtually unknown Cubans, with their deep pitching staff and undeniable spirit, have won all but two of their last 24 games in international play - with one of those losses coming to Japan in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The Cubans are a confident bunch who consider themselves amateurs despite their fame back home. They advanced to Monday night's championship with an emotional 3-1 victory over the Dominican Republic on Saturday while wearing their lucky red uniforms for the second time this tournament. Japan then avenged two earlier WBC losses to South Korea and won 6-0 in the second semifinal.
"In terms of Cuba, I have no idea what to expect," said Japan's Ichiro Suzuki, the Seattle Mariners' star leadoff hitter and right fielder. "I don't know any of their names. The fact they've come this far shows they are a team with serious potential."
And credentials. Cuba won last year's World Cup, the 2004 Olympic title and the 2003 Pan American Games championship.
But upstaging the United States' superstar roster featuring highly paid New York Yankees Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez? Not to mention defeating the Dominican squad with reigning NL MVP Albert Pujols and AL Cy Young award winner Bartolo Colon.
"This was very unexpected," Cuba's Yoandy Garlobo said. "Everything is possible. Nothing is impossible."
There was a flurry of speculation Sunday that a Cuban player had defected, though Major League Baseball and Cuban officials quickly nixed that.
"No, there is no defection," Cuban spokesman Pedro Cabrera said after the team went through informal weight training and drills at Petco Park. "The Cuban team is in very high spirits. The aspirations from when we left Havana have been multiplied."
MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said he visited the Cuban clubhouse Sunday and saw no signs of disarray, though acknowledged "I didn't count heads."
The teams waited to settle on their starting pitchers until the last possible moment. Cuba was deciding between two options, though Ormari Romero's turn would be up after the right-hander beat Puerto Rico in the second round to clinch a spot in the semifinals. Vicyhoandry Odelin and Yunieski Maya were other top choices to pitch.
Japan was likely to go with right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, who led the Pacific League with 215 innings and 226 strikeouts for the Seibu Lions last year. Matsuzaka aspires to play in the United States and would like to use this as an audition for major league scouts.
For the Cubans, the unusually cool weather in Southern California has been challenging. The temperature was 58 degrees at first pitch for their game Saturday, and players wore blue undershirts beneath their jerseys. Pitchers warmed up in jackets.
After an impressive team pitching effort from Yadel Marti, who worked 12 2-3 shutout innings in four Classic appearances, and hard-throwing Pedro Lazo in the semifinal victory, the Cubans will try to slow down a Japan offense that has been the most productive in the Classic. Ichiro has a seven-game WBC hitting streak and had three hits, two stolen bases and an RBI against previously unbeaten South Korea. Kosuke Fukudome added a pinch-hit, two-run homer.
Even Ichiro, typically all business as he goes about his daily routine, has shown more emotion during this event. He's had fun, too, waving to fans from the outfield and welcoming the boos from the South Korean fans - saying Sunday "they didn't boo me hard enough."
"I'm really proud that I'm only one of two players from major league baseball in the final game," he said through a translator. "I sense MLB is hurting a little bit. ... I do have the Japanese flag on my shoulder. That might be the reason I became more emotional during these games."
Akinori Otsuka, a former Padres reliever now with the Texas Rangers, is the other major leaguer for Japan.
This is certainly not the final matchup everybody envisioned, with the Dominicans and Team USA clear favorites from the start.
It just goes to show the tournament truly is the "Clasico Mundial de Beisbol" - the WORLD Baseball Classic - not another version of the American All-Star game.
Still, the absent major leaguers were on people's minds.
One American journalist mistook Ichiro for Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui.
"Hey, I'm not Hideki, I'm Ichiro," he said.
No doubt the Cubans know his name even if he doesn't yet know theirs.
credit BellSouth