X-Nico

unusual facts about Japan national baseball team



1993 Asian Baseball Championship

The tournament was won by defending champions Japan; their eleventh Asian Championship and their third consecutive title, equalling the record they set in two separate sequences previously: 1955-1959-1962 and 1965-1967-1967.

Kim Dong-Joo

South Korea won their first Asian Game gold medal, beating Japan 13-1 in the finals, and Kim received a military exemption along with Park Chan-Ho, Seo Jae-Weong and Kim Byung-Hyun by winning gold.

Kosuke Fukudome

He was also a member of the Japanese national baseball team, winning a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and placing first in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Lee Jin-Young

In Round 2, Lee smacked a 2-RBI single off Yu Darvish in the top of the first inning to lead his team to a 4-1 victory over Japan, which assured South Korea a spot in the semifinals.

Shota Ishimine

He competed for the Japanese national baseball team in the 2010 World University Baseball Championship, being named an All-Tournament outfielder, along with Mikie Mahtook and Yoenis Céspedes.

Travis Blackley

He debuted for Australia in the 2007 Baseball World Cup and went 0–1 and 1.64 ERA for the tournament, his only loss coming against the Japan national baseball team when Tadashi Settsu threw a shutout against Australia in the quarter-final, with Australia finishing 5th.


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