Read the full story on SportsLook - Samurai Japan Wins Asia Professional Baseball Championship in Hirokazu Ibata's Managerial Debut
Yomiuri Giants rookie Makoto Kadowaki drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning on Sunday, November 19 as Samurai Japan defeated South Korea 4-3 to win the Asia Professional Baseball Championship.
Hirokazu Ibata was making his managerial debut for three-time World Baseball Classic champion Japan and his players rewarded him with the gold medal.
"It's a huge relief," Ibata said. "We were down 0-2 in the game and the players never gave up and I really appreciate their effort."
South Korea took an early 2-0 lead in the third inning before a near-capacity crowd at Tokyo Dome with two runs off Japan starter Tatsuya Imai.
But Shugo Maki of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars drilled a curveball into the left field stands for a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to cut South Korea's lead to 2-1.
"The home run by Maki really changed the atmosphere on the bench," Ibata said. "After that we were more relaxed."
Samurai Japan Ties the Score in the 6th
Japan tied the score 2-2 in the sixth when Chusei Mannami doubled to right and later scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Teruaki Sato.
The game then went to extra innings where the tie-break rule went into effect with runners on first and second to start the inning.
In the top of the 10th, South Korea scored once to take a 3-2 lead on Dong Hee Yoon's single up the middle with two outs.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
