TOKYO (AP) — Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko arrived at the Tokyo Dome for Japan’s critical game Sunday against Australia at the World Baseball Classic.
Even the royal family are fans of Japanese baseball and superstar Shohei Ohtani.
They left after seeing Japan win 4-3, but it was not easy. The defending champions trailed 1-0 until they scored on Masataka Yoshida’s two-run homer in the seventh to lead 2-1. They did not trail again.
Japan has qualified for the quarterfinals in the United States. Australia will advance from Pool C if it beats South Korea on Monday.
“Like yesterday we were behind,” Tomoyuki Sugano, Japan’s best pitcher of the night, said in Japanese in reference to an 8-6 win on Saturday over South Korea.
“But my teammates are very positive no matter what the situation is,” Sugano added. “So I’m always thinking this team is not going to be beaten. This kind of clubhouse atmosphere is something we are proud of.”
The royal family was surely very happy, too.
Japan added two insurance runs in the eighth. Ukyo Shuto scored on Teruaki Sato’s double and Sosuke Genda came in when Ky Hampton issued a walk with the bases loaded.
Japan needed those runs.
Alex Hall pulled Australia closer with a home run in the ninth, and Rixon Wingrove hit another on the next at-bat to make it 4-3.
Japan was already guaranteed of advancing to the quarterfinals, but the victory assured Japan of topping Pool C. Japan closes play on Tuesday against the Czech Republic.
Australia can clinch the other quarterfinal spot from the pool if it defeats South Korea on Monday.
Japan was kept in check by Australian pitching throughout the game until Yoshida got to Jon Kennedy, Australia’s fifth pitcher of the night, with a homer to right field.
Kennedy was the losing pitcher. The win went to Chihiro Sumida with a save for Taisei Ota.
Japan had scored all but one of its runs in the first two games of the tournament with home runs.
Emperor Naruhito has been very visible lately.
The emperor turned 66 just a few weeks ago and has been focusing his attention on remembering the 15th anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011, that killed nearly 20,000 people in northern Japan.
Aiko, 24, is the only child between Naruhito and Masako and cannot become the monarch. Japan allows only male succession.
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