If you're not much of a sports person, then you might have missed the news that Japan won the World Baseball Classic last week. Japan took its second victory in a row, third overall, after beating out Cuba, the US, and finally South Korea in a 5-3 match last Monday night.

I had only caught the tail-end of the US v Japan game, and Japan already had a sizable lead. As a result, the US players just seemed lackadaisical. I guess their lack of caring is what allowed Japan to trounce them. Something to note is that Japanese baseball players actually use a smaller field than what the US and many other people use, so playing in the WBC is actually a bigger challenge for them.

I guess that's why after the victory, Japan's baseball commissioner, Ryozo Kato, said that Japan should move to an internationalized standard, saying "We have to play the game of baseball based on international standards. I know there are obstacles, but we should not hesitate to tackle them." I'm sure it'll only help to make the Japanese team better at the game. A side note, Kato was once an ambassador to the US. Huh.

And finally, in this little baseball roundup, Eri Yoshida finally made her baseball debut. You might remember this girl caused a stir as she was the first woman signed to a men's pro baseball team. Well, she was put out for a little bit in the 9th inning, just as a bit of a show, and got some pitches in before being replaced. The source article has a full description of the game, and after reading it, I really feel like this whole thing is all just for show. I so badly want it to be because of skill, but I can't say that with any sort of confidence.

Did any of you sit down to watch Japan run through the WBC?