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Source: Fox News
Summary
Japan, led by Shohei Ohtani, was defeated by Venezuela 8-5 in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani hit his third home run of the tournament, but it was not enough to prevent Japan’s 11-game winning streak from being snapped. Venezuela will face unbeaten Italy in the semifinals.
Our Reading
The game followed a familiar script.
Ohtani’s heroics were wasted, and Japan’s winning streak came to an end.
Venezuela’s comeback was sparked by Maikel Garcia’s two-run homer, and Wilyer Abreu’s go-ahead, three-run shot sealed the win.
Japan’s offense stalled after a strong start, and their bullpen struggled to contain Venezuela’s bats.
This one felt like a repeat of Japan’s slow starts in the tournament, and they couldn’t recover from the deficit.
The result wasn’t surprising by the end.
Author: Evan Null
