I n recent years, circumstances surrounding Japanese baseball suggested that its popularity was in decline and that soccer was drawing away many fans. However, Team Japan's 10-6 victory over Cuba this week to win the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) is certainly enough to lift the fortunes of the sport, at least temporarily. Kudos goes out to Japanese team players and manager Mr. Sadaharu Oh for their energy and perseverance that led them to a world championship on American soil.
Teams from 16 nations were invited to compete in the tournament, which was organized by Major League Baseball (MLB) and its players' union. The Japanese team's path to the championship was not a smooth one. After posting easy wins over China and Taiwan at Tokyo Dome, it lost the Asian Round final to South Korea.
In the second round, it had an easy win over Mexico but suffered two defeats -- one from South Korea (for a second time) and the other from the United States, after losing a key run due to an umpire's blooper. Still, the Goddess of Fortune smiled on Team Japan. Mexico's 2-1 victory over the U.S. in the second round of "Pool 1" enabled Japan to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinal game, the Japanese team overwhelmed the South Korean team. Japan ended the tournament with a 5-3 record.