LOS ANGELES — So this is what baseball looks like without steroids?
Forget the power of the people. Japan used the power of the staple, or staples as it were. It was death by paper cut Monday night as Japan killed South Korea’s dream with precise execution, beautifully employing small ball to win its second consecutive World Baseball Classic title 5-3 in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium.
It was Ichiro Suzuki, the most accomplished Japanese major leaguer ever, who delivered the dagger with a vintage grudgematch at-bat that ended with a two-RBI single to center field.
Before the game, Paul Archey, Major League Baseball’s point man for the WBC, praised the growth of the event. He indicated that the field would be expanded in 2013, creating February play-in games and that the schedule would likely be condensed to prevent inactivity (Team USA played just eight games in 16 days). More salient, he said organizers will consider moving the finals to a foreign venue.
“We have done it before to open a major-league season,” Archey said.
Tokyo would be the most logical, based on fanaticism, facilities and the fact that Japan has earned the right with back-to-back WBC titles. That’s not to say that this game wasn’t a hit in the states. While many Americans yawn at the WBC — it’s hard for fans to take it seriously when the best players have a cavalier attitude about playing — the record crowd of 54,846 Monday roared with passion, particularly those draped in Korean colors.
“This is great for baseball,” Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said.
If nothing else, it was great baseball, pure in its fundamentals. Unlike the American team that played for the home run Sunday, Japan relied on jabs. Of their 92 hits in the classic, 74 were singles, including three in the decisive 10th inning.
Even without muscle, Japan outscored the opposition 50-16 in the tournament. Yet, Korea was a tough out. They are the reigning 2008 Olympic gold medalists, a testament to their rapid rise to power given that the country’s professional league has existed only since 1992.
With 22-year-old Yu Darvish summoned to protect a 3-2, ninth-inning lead — he’s Japan’s next big thing, a younger, leaner version of Daisuke Matsuzaka — Korea was undaunted. By trade, Darvish is a starter. For this tournament, namely the past two games, he’s been a closer. The move backfired in the ninth when the kid became unnerved. Two walks and a two-out single delayed the celebration as Bum Ho Lee plated the tying run with a hard hit to left field.
Suzuki gave Darvish another opportunity to turn out the lights in the 10th. With runners at second and third, the Seattle Mariners’ star dug in against Chang Yo Lim. After several foul balls, he flipped a line drive into center field. It was classic Ichiro, a backhanded volley, the kind of act that once left Chicago Cubs second baseman Aaron Miles to say, “He’s like the Matrix. He does stuff the rest of us can’t do.”
After spoiling the win for ace Hasashi Iwakuma, Darvish, while wobbly, finally secured the victory. With a dominating strikeout, he created a flashbulb celebration punctuated by a triumphant huddle on the mound.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
