In an away atmosphere dominated by American fans, they achieved "regaining the world title".
Baseball's WBC = World Baseball Classic, Japan defeated USA in the final to win the title for the third time in three tournaments.
It was the result of coach Hideki Kuriyama's Japan of baseball, which he had advocated since his appointment: "Patience and defense centered on pitching ability."
(Sports News Department, Reporter, Takahiro Kanazawa)
In the selection of 30 members of the national team, Coach Kuriyama selected 15 pitchers, half of whom were selected.
The reason was clear.
In order for Japan to compete with strong teams overseas, it is important to make the most of their strengths in pitching.
And it was to "make sure that when a pitcher's relay is needed, he can spend it without hesitation."
The WBC final will be exactly what we intended.
The opponents are the United States, where all 30 players are big leaguers.
In particular, the batting lineup includes star players from No. 1 to No. 9, such as Trout and Goldschmidt.
Ahead of the final, Coach Kuriyama told his players, "Yes, we have a chance to win, so let's not be afraid to face them head-on."
Regardless of their role in the team, the match will be in the form of "all players who can do well will go."
We didn't let the opponent's batting line be focused on the pitcher's relay.
Most of the innings had a tough time with runners on their backs, but all the pitchers who pitched occupied key points and lined up "0s" on the scoreboard with strong throws that did not allow a decisive hit.
Five pitchers held the Americans to one run until the seventh inning, and in the eighth inning, the team's spiritual pillar, Yu Darvish, came on and gave up one run on a solo home run, but kept the lead.
Then, in the ninth inning, he was three outs away from becoming the best in the world.
The big role to close out the game was played by Shohei Otani, who dominates the big leagues with his two-way throwing style.
It was the first time in 3 years that Japan defended three runs scored by fielders with seven pitchers against the star players of the big leagues.
It's "an American ballpark, beat the United States, and become the best in the world."
It was the moment when the ideal baseball envisioned by Coach Kuriyama, who has been saying so, was embodied in the country where baseball was born.