Japan, Australia, Netherlands win in World Baseball Classic - MLB

TOKYO – Shohei Ohtani allowed one hit in the four innings he pitched, struck out five and was the winning pitcher Thursday in Japan’s 8-1 victory over China in Group B at the World Baseball Classic.

Ohtani also doubled off the left field wall in the fourth to score two at the Tokyo Dome and increase Japan’s lead to 3-0.

The fans got what they came for – Ohtani pitching, hitting and not disappointing the 41,616 who showed up.

Japan eventually won in a game closer than expected until the hosts broke it open late.

Besides Ohtani, the fan favorite was Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals, who made a sprawling catch is center and also led off and hit the first pitch he saw for a single in the first.

China cut the lead to 3-1 in the sixth on Pei Liang’s home run, but Japan got it back in the seventh to make it 4-1 on a homer by Shugo Maki.

The Japanese added four runs in the eighth to put the game away.

Japan will next play South Korea on Friday while China takes on the Czech Republic.

AUSTRALIA 8, SOUTH KOREA 7

TOKYO — Robbie Perkins hit one of Australia’s three homers to beat South Korea in Group B at the Tokyo Dome.

Australia, leading 5-4 in the top of the eighth, put the game away with a three-run shot by Perkins. The blast came off Hyeon-Jong Yang, who had entered in relief in the inning and made only seven pitches and got no one out.

Australia went ahead 2-0 in the fifth, but South Korea rallied with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. That came on Euiji Yang’s three-run, line-drive home run to left field.

South Korea added another run in the sixth. But Australia scored three in the seventh to take the lead.

The seventh inning also featured a three-run homer from Robbie Glendinning, with Australia living off its power game.

South Korea scored three runs in its eighth – on five walks and a hit batter – to cut the lead to 8-7 but could not break through in the ninth.

NETHERLANDS 3, PANAMA 1

TAICHUNG, Taiwan — The Netherlands, after beating Cuba in the opener, won its second game in two days in Group A.

Xander Bogaerts homered in the third to give the Dutch a 1-0 lead. Jurickson Profar added to the lead in the fifth with another one-run home run.

Panama’s Erasmo Caballero cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth on an single that scored Jose Ramos.

The Netherlands picked up its final run in the eight when Bogaerts scored on a wild pitch by Alberto Baldonado.

ITALY 6, CUBA 3 (10 innings)

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (AP) – Cuba lost its second game in Group A play, falling to Italy in what is a disappointing start for what used to be Latin America’s top power.

Brett Sullivan’s sacrifice in the sixth scored Sal Frelick and gave Italy a 1-0 lead. The Italians made it 2-0 in the seventh on a double by Miles Mastrobuoni that scored Nicky Lopez.

Cuba cut the lead to 2-1 in its half of the seventh on an RBI single from Lorenzo Quintana that scored Erisbel Arruebarrena.

In the eighth, Arruebarrena tried to save Cuba and tied the game on a single scoring Alfredo Despaigne.

The game went to extra innings with Italy scoring four in the 10th to clinch the victory. Cuba picked up one in the bottom of the 10th.

Italy is 1-0 and faces winless Taiwan on Friday. Cuba faces Panama next.

CHICAGO – The number will follow Shohei Ohtani until it is over. No, not Ohtani’s home runs or strikeouts or any of his magnificent numbers from the field. Nothing like that.

It’s all about how much. As in how much will his next contract be worth.

Ohtani is among several players going into their final seasons before they are eligible for free agency. There is still time for signatures and press conferences before opening day, but history shows a new contract becomes less likely once the real games begin.

There is no real precedent for placing a value on Ohtani’s remarkable skills, especially after baseball’s epic offseason spending spree. And that doesn’t factor in the potential business opportunities that go along with the majors’ only truly global star.

Ohtani hit .273 with 34 homers and 95 RBIs last season in his fifth year with the Los Angeles Angels. The 2021 AL MVP also went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts on the mound.

He prepared for this season by leading Japan to the World Baseball Classic championship, striking out fellow Angels star Mike Trout for the final out in a 3-2 victory over the United States in the final.

Ohtani, who turns 29 in July, could set multiple records with his next contract, likely in the neighborhood of a $45 million average annual value and quite possibly reaching $500 million in total.

If the Angels drop out of contention in the rough-and-tumble AL West, Ohtani likely becomes the top name on the trade market this summer. If the Angels are in the mix for the playoffs, the pressure builds on the team to get something done before possibly losing Ohtani in free agency for nothing more than a compensatory draft pick.

So yeah, definitely high stakes with Ohtani and the Angels.

Here is a closer look at five more players eligible for free agency after this season:

RHP Aaron Nola, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Nola, who turns 30 in June, went 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA in 32 starts for Philadelphia last year. He also had a career-best 235 strikeouts in 205 innings for the NL champions.

Nola was selected by the Phillies with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. There were extension talks during spring training, but it didn’t work out.

“We are very open-minded to trying to sign him at the end of the season,” President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said. “We’re hopeful that he’ll remain a Phillie for a long time.”

3B Matt Chapman, TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Chapman hit 36 homers and drove in 91 runs for Oakland in 2019. He hasn’t been able to duplicate that production, but the three-time Gold Glover finished with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 155 games last year in his first season with Toronto.

Chapman turns 30 on April 28. Long one of the game’s top fielding third basemen, he is represented by Scott Boras, who generally takes his clients to free agency.

OF TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ, SEATTLE MARINERS

Hernández was acquired in a November trade with Toronto. He hit .267 with 25 homers and 77 RBIs in his final year with the Blue Jays. He was terrific in 2021, batting .296 with 32 homers, 116 RBIs and a .870 OPS.

The change of scenery could help the 30-year-old Hernández set himself up for a big payday. He is a .357 hitter with three homers and seven RBIs in 16 games at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

OF Ian Happ, CHICAGO CUBS

The switch-hitting Happ is coming off perhaps his best big league season, setting career highs with a .271 batting average, 72 RBIs and 42 doubles in 158 games. He also won his first Gold Glove and made the NL All-Star team for the first time.

Chicago had struggled to re-sign its own players in recent years, but it agreed to a $35 million, three-year contract with infielder Nico Hoerner on Monday. The 28-year-old Happ, a first-round pick in the 2015 amateur draft, is on the executive subcommittee for the players’ union.

LHP JULIO URÍAS, LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Urías, who turns 27 in August, likely will have plenty of suitors if he reaches free agency. He went 17-7 with an NL-low 2.16 ERA in 31 starts for the NL West champions in 2022, finishing third in NL Cy Young Award balloting. That’s after he went 20-3 with a 2.96 ERA in the previous season.

Urías also is a Boras client, but the Dodgers have one of the majors’ biggest payrolls. Los Angeles also could make a run at Ohtani, which could factor into its discussions with Urías’ camp.