(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
      USA nips Japan to become second finalist
Nederlands
 LOS ANGELES, California (USA) -
The USA has becomed the second finalist of the fourth edition of the World Baseball Classic.
On Tuesday-evening (March 21), the Americans won 2-1 against Japan in the second Semi-Final in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
With this, the USA has reached the Final of the Classic for the first time.
The team was eliminated in the Second Round in 2006 and 2013, finishing in eighth and sixth place respectively.
In 2009, the Americans qualified for the Final Round, but finished in fourth place.
The loss of Japan also means that the Netherlands Kingdom Team will finish in fourth place with a 4-3 record.
Japan, which was unbeaten, finishes in third place with a 6-1 record.
Four years ago, Japan and the Netherlands also finished in third and fourth place.
Japan won the event in 2006 and 2009.
On Monday, Puerto Rico became the first team to qualify for the Final after winning an 11-inning thriller against the Netherlands Kingdom Team.
Puerto Rico won 4-3 on a walk-off sacrifice fly that ended the excited game after four hours and 19 minutes.
Just as in the Semi-Final on Monday, tonight was a tight game and several umpire reviews were needed on Tuesday also to watch at some close plays to confirm the calls.
The all-deciding Final will be played on Wednesday-evening.
There is not much rain in sunny California, but on Tuesday, it rained in Los Angeles.
The field in Dodger Stadium was covered by the tarp, but the game went underway as scheduled, despite drizzling rain.
And it kept on raining for quite awhile.
Japan got its first runner in scoring position in the bottom of the first inning.
American starter Tanner Roark hit lead-off hitter Tetsuto Yamada with his second pitch and he moved on sacrifice bunt and a grounder, but stranded on third base.
Japan got another baserunner in the second at bat when Hayato Sakamoto singled with one out, but a double play followed.
The USA was retired in order in the first two innings by Japan-starter Tomoyuki Sugano.
The righthander then gave up a lead-off single to Buster Posey in the third inning.
Posey advanced to second base on a double play-grounder by Giancarlo Stanton, but an umpire review was needed to confirm that.
Initially, Posey was called out in what was a double play.
But during the review, it was noticed that second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi had no contact with the base when he received the ball to force out Posey.
And so, Posey was safe and later moved to third base on a grounder by Brandon Crawford.
However, Posey also stranded on third base.
Team USA opened the score in the top of the fourth inning.
With one out, Christian Yelich reached on an error, which enabled him to advance to second base.
With two outs, Eric Hosmer walked, but hereafter Andrew McCutchen singled to bring in Yelich and put the Americans ahead, 1-0.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Nate Jones takes over the American pitching from Tanner Roark.
He retires the side in the fifth (one out thanks to an umpire review).
In the sixth, the righthander of the Chicago White Sox begins with a strikeout, but then gives up a homerun to Ryosuke Kikuchi, which ties the score.
Hereafter, Andrew Miller relieves Jones, walks the next batter, but then eliminates the next two.
In the top of the seventh, Kodai Senga becomes the new pitcher for Japan and strikes out Eric Hosmer, Andrew McCutchen and Buster Posey!
The righthander then also strikes out Giancarlo Stanton to begin the eighth inning.
However, Senga gives up a single hereafter to Brandon Crawford, who advances to third on a following double by Ian Kinsler and scores on a grounder by Adam Jones to put the USA back on top.
Senga closes with another strikeout, but the USA leads 2-1.
In the bottom of the eighth, Mark Melancon takes the mound for the USA, but he sees Japan get into scoring position again.
Pinch-hitter Seiichi Uchikawa leads off with a single, then his pinch-runner Kosuke Tanaka advances on a sacrifice bunt.
After a strikeout, Melancon walks Norichika Aoki and is replaced by Pat Neshek.
He is greeted with a line drive by Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh, but that is caught by rightfielder Andrew McCutchen to end the inning.
Luke Gregerson closed the game for Team USA in the bottom of the ninth.
He gets two grounders, then ends the game with a strikeout to secure the minimal lead for the American squad.
(March 21)
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