Ohtani leads Japan over Italy 9-3, into WBC semifinals MLB umpires will have a new view this season — on Zoom

TOKYO – Japanese manager Hideki Kuriyama still enjoys watching Shohei Otani. It has been that way ever since Kuriyama managed to win a two-sided star with the Hokkaido Ham-Fighters.

“When we see Shohei play, not just the players but also the Japanese baseball fans, the whole nation feels something special,” Kuriyama said through a translator after Otani beat Japan 9-3 over Italy on Thursday night to put “Samurai Warriors” in the lead. their fifth straight World Baseball Classis semi-final.

Otani threw a fifth-inning shutout and ignited the third run with four runs with a single.

“Moments like this make me feel like Otani,” Kuriyama said. “This is Shohei. This is Shohei. When he plays a game that needs to be won, like today, we see who Shohei is.”

Boston Masataka Yoshida homered and gave the go-ahead for a run with the Grounder, giving him a 10 RBI lead in the tournament. Kazuma Okamoto hit a three-run homer for Japan, who beat the opposition 47-11 in five games and batted .313.

Japan travels to Miami for the semi-finals on Monday against either Puerto Rico or Mexico. Cuba plays in another semi-final against the USA or Venezuela.

Performing to an enthusiastic crowd of 41,723 at the Tokyo Dome, Otani hit his fastest pitch since joining the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, hitting Vinnie Pasquino on a fastball at 102 mph in the second. This topped the 101.4 mph that hit Houston. Kyle Tucker last 10 September.

Otani (2-0) allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk and went 1 for 4 with a walk at the plate. He’s hitting .438 (7 of 16) with a home run, three doubles and eight RBIs, as well as a 2.08 ERA, 10 strikeouts and one mound walk. Otani will be available on a four-day rest to play in a possible final on Tuesday – 4 1/2 days, given the time difference.

Otani extended his no-point tournament streak to 8 2/3 innings before the fifth when Dominic Fletcher hit a single soft-base right hand with two outs on Otani’s 71st and final pitch—nine under limit. Otani hit Ben Delucio with a field with one out, single is allowed David Fletcherretired Sal Frelik during flight and hit Nicky Lopez with a step.

“In the fourth and fifth innings, I struggled a little, but until then I had a good rhythm and I think I served well,” Otani said.

Otani also mentioned his special relationship with Kuriyama, who encouraged him to continue the two-way game.

“This is such a special moment for me,” Otani said, referring to Kuriyama in the Japanese Kuriyama-san style. “When I played Kuriyama-san as the Slayer, I learned a lot. Yes, he is the one who taught me how to play well.”

Hiromi Ito released and retired Miles Mastrobuoni while flying when Yoshida crashed into the left wall of the field while making a catch.

Japan is the only country to have reached the semi-finals of all five WBCs, having won the first two tournaments in 2006 and 2009. The Samurai Warriors were knocked out by Puerto Rico in 2013 and the US in 2017.

Italy, under Mike Piazza, made it past the first round for the first time since 2013. Dominic Fletcher, an Arizona prospect, drove all three of the Italian runs and hit the team’s first home run of the tournament, a solo shot in the eighth round. off Yu Darvish.

“Against a very good team, you have to be exceptional,” Piazza said. “And obviously we weren’t like that today. Today we threw the ball badly. We needed our pitchers to play really well.”

Italy’s pitchers have gone eight.

“You can’t win a team like Japan with eight walks,” Piazza said.

Japan took the lead in third place with four runs.

Kensu Kondo went out with one strikeout against Tampa Bay minor leaguer Joe LaSorsa (0-1) and Otani hit the third baseline for a single when LaSorsa threw wildly on a mistake that left runners in the corners. Yoshida’s win put Japan ahead, with Munetaka Murakami gone and Okamoto scoring a goal.

Murakami, two-time Central League MVP, scored an RBI double in the fifth round and Kazuma Okamoto followed with a double double. Winnie Nittoli which opened up a 7-2 advantage.

Yoshida finished seventh against San Francisco prospect Joey Marciano, with Sōsuke Genda adding an RBI single.

NEW YORK. Judges will have a new look this season: in Zoom.

Major League Baseball has struck a deal with Zoom Video Communications Inc. to allow on-field umpires to oversee the playback operations center scoring contested calls.

MLB first adopted instant replay in September 2008 for home boundary calls and expanded it to a wide variety of solutions in the 2014 season. Last season there were 1,434 video reviews, including 1,261 team challenges, 50.2% of which resulted in call cancellations.

So far, the field crew chief has listened to the replay judge in New York with audio only, joined by the judge who made the initial call if he was not the crew chief. During 2013, the pumps went to the edge of the field to listen on headphones, then in 2014-21, an attendant took their headphones out to the field for them. Last year, umps switched to a wireless waistpack and MLB allowed replays and decisions to be announced for the first time on ballpark PA systems.

12.9-inch iPad Pro tablets will be delivered this year by a technician. They will be connected to the Zoom Contact Center and Replay Operations Center to see which replays are being viewed. The replay referee still makes the final decision.

“You’ll be able to see who’s sitting in the chair, who might be with that person, what plays they’re watching, and you’ll be able to combine visual interaction with the traditional audio interaction they’re discussing on the pitch. MLB director of operations and strategy Chris Marinak said.

A limited number of broadcasts will have access to Zoom videos viewed by umps: Apple TV+ and MLB Network Showcase. Marinak said the new technology could become available for post-season TV broadcasts, and approximate video boards would have access to Zoom TV viewings that would be branded with the company.

Zoom will also be used by MLB on the first day of the Seattle Amateur Draft on July 9th. It’s still too early to determine if Zoom can be used in robot referees, an automated ball kick system is being tested this season in Triple-A. .

“This whole ecosystem is open to innovation and experimentation,” Marinak said. “We will definitely try and see what will take root. As for ABS, I think it’s too early to say that we’ve settled on one particular process and technology for the long term. I think we’re still experimenting a lot and being open to everything, trying things at the minor league level.”

Zoom, launched in 2011, has been increasingly used by MLB teams during the pandemic. For most of 2021 and 22, Zoom has replaced in-person media accessibility for players and managers.

“They’ve been customers for years, using our meetings, our rooms, our phone technology, and then deeper integration, as we know, the way people used video has really changed over the past few years,” said Janine Pelosi. zoom. marketing director. “I think he will add this technology where it will not interfere with the game. I think it’s critical. And it will bring the fans an experience.”