03/14/26 11:31:00
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03/14 23:29 CDT Venezuela rallies to beat Shohei Ohtani and defending champ
Japan 8-5, advance to WBC semis
Venezuela rallies to beat Shohei Ohtani and defending champ Japan 8-5, advance
to WBC semis
By ALANIS THAMES
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- Wilyer Abreu hit a go-ahead, three-run homer after Maikel Garcia
sparked the comeback with a two-run shot, and Venezuela beat Shohei Ohtani and
defending champion Japan 8-5 in the World Baseball Classic on Saturday night to
advance to the semifinals.
Venezuela reached its first WBC semis since 2009 and clinched a spot in the
six-nation field for the 2028 Olympic baseball tournament, along with the
United States and the Dominican Republic.
Venezuela will face unbeaten Italy on Monday, a day after the U.S. plays the
Dominicans.
Abreu gave Venezuela a 7-5 lead when he homered off loser Hiromi Itoh in the
sixth, driving a 2-1 four-seam fastball 409 feet to right for his first home
run of the tournament. Ezequiel Tovar made it 8-5 in the eighth, leading off
with a double then scoring on a throwing error by Atsuki Taneichi on a pickoff
attempt.
Ohtani's third home run of the tournament wasn't enough for Japan, which had
its 11-game WBC winning streak snapped.
Ohtani, the 2023 WBC MVP, led off the bottom of the first by lifting a 2-1
slider from Ranger Surez 427 feet to center after Ronald Acua Jr. homered on
the second pitch from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, driving a fastball 401 feet to
right-center for his second home run of the WBC.
Enmanuel De Jesus pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, and Daniel
Palencia got the save, ending Japan's fate by getting Ohtani to pop out for the
final out.
Japan led 5-2 after a four-run third in which Shota Morishita, who replaced the
injured Seiya Suzuki at center field, hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off
Surez. The veteran left-hander who picked up a win in a group stage game
against the Netherlands pitched 2 2/3 innings on Saturday, allowing three hits,
five runs and two home runs.
Garcia homered on the eighth pitch against Chihiro Sumida to pull Venezuela
within 5-4 in the fifth.
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