Eri Yoshida made her debut for Kobe 9 Cruise on Friday. Not only did she become the first professional female baseball player in Japan, she’s also only 17 years old. After walking the first batter she faced, she struck out the second batter.

Eri Yoshida - Japanese Female Pitcher Makes Debut (Image: Newscom)

Although Kobe 9 Cruise went on to win the game 5-0, almost all the attention after the game was how Eri Yoshida pitched. On the mound, Yoshida utilizes a sidearm knuckleball that actually has good movement to it.

“I want to be able to pitch more innings,” said Yoshida following her outing, “and become a pitcher who can be relied upon.”

Kobe 9 Cruise plays in the Kansai league, which is comparable to the minor leagues in the United States. They played this game in the Osaka Dome in the city of Osaka.

Growing up, Eri Yoshida has stated that Tim Wakefield was her hero. Wakefield is famous for his world class knuckeball. Now if Yoshida can add a knuckle curve to her repertoire, we’d have a new favorite here at KnuckleCurve.

When Japan needed a big hit to win their second straight World Baseball Classic, they got the needed hit from their biggest star. Ichiro, who has been one of the best baseball players in the world over the last decade, hit a single in the top of the tenth inning to score two runs for Japan.

Ichiro a Hero for Japan (Image: Newscom)

After ending South Korea’s chances in the bottom of the 10th, Japan became successful in their bid to go 2-for-2 in the World Baseball Classic. In 2006, they won the inaugural WBC event.

Japan got up early in this ballgame but could never put South Korea away. After gaining a 1-0 lead, South Korea tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. Japan scored once in the top of the seventh and top of the eighth, however South Korea forced extra innings by scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth and the bottom of the ninth.

Ichiro’s big hit came with runners on second and third for Japan. The hit was Ichiro’s fourth of the game in six at-bats. Now Ichiro gets to go to Japan as a hero and a two-time World Baseball Classic champion.

Japan won the initial World Baseball Classic in 2006. On Monday, they will try to win the 2009 World Baseball Classic after defeating the United States on Sunday night by a final score of 9-4 to advance to the championship game.

Akinori Iwamura Bats for Japan (Image: Newscom)

The night started off well for the U.S. as they scored in the top of the first inning. After Japan tied it at one, the United States went up 2-1 on a David Wright RBI double in the third inning.

However, the wheels came off for the U.S. in the bottom of the fourth. Facing starter Roy Oswalt, Japan scored five times to go up 6-2 and they would never look back.

Getting the win for Japan was Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka, who was the MVP of the 2006 WBC, remains undefeated in WBC play. His ERA for this year’s event stands at 2.45 after he gave up two earned runs in 4.2 innings.

In the championship game, Japan will face South Korea after South Korea defeated Venezuela on Saturday.

The 2009 World Baseball classic championship will take place at 9:30 PM EST at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

An underdog against the powerful lineup of Venezuela, South Korea quickly showed that they weren’t intimidated. Sprinting to a 7-0 lead after two innings, South Korea easily held on to win by a final score of 10-2.

South Korea’s lone Major League Baseball player provided the big hit in the first inning. Choo Shin-Soo of the Cleveland Indians hit a three-run shot off of Venezuelan starter Carlos Silva.

Choo Shin-Soo Celebrates First Inning Blast (Image: Newscom)

On the mound, South Korea got a huge performance from Yoon Suk-Min. Only 22-years-old, Yoon gave up only two earned runs, seven hits and one walk in 6.1 innings, while striking out four batters. His ERA during the 2009 World Baseball Classic is a sparkling 1.12.

International success isn’t a foreign concept to South Korea. In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, they were able to win the gold medal in baseball.

Now South Korea will play the winner of the United States versus Japan matchup for the championship of the World Baseball Classic. Roy Oswalt will get the start for the U.S. and Daisuke Matsuzaka will start for Japan in the game that is to be played on Sunday.

The championship game will take place on Monday in Dodger Stadium.

For their semifinal game against Japan, the United States will put the ball in Roy Oswalt’s hand. In his last outing, Oswalt delivered four shutout innings against the Netherlands in a must-win game.

Roy Oswalt, World Baseball Classic 2009 (Image: Newscom)

Facing another must-win game, the US is going back to the pitcher who is regarded by many as the best big game starter on the roster. The 31-year-old has spent his entire career with the Houston Astros.

Although Japan hasn’t officially named their starter, most followers expect Daisuke Matsuzaka to get the start. Last year with the Boston Red Sox, Matsuzaka had an 18-3 record with a 2.90 ERA.

The winner of the USA versus Japan will face the winner of Korea versus Venezuela. The championship game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic will take place on Monday at Dodger Stadium.

Japan won the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and Matsuzaka was named the Most Valuable Player of the WBC.

The United States has had a rollercoaster past two days in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. On Tuesday, the US rallied in the ninth inning to beat Puerto Rico and avoid elimination. On Wednesday, the United States got beat handily by Venezuela.

The hero on Tuesday night was David Wright. Down by a run in the bottom of the ninth, Wright hit a single that scored two runs to give their 6-5 margin of victory. With the loss, Puerto Rico was eliminated. Oddly enough, the last time Puerto Rico and the US met, Puerto Rico won that game 11-1.

On Wednesday, Venezuela remained on fire. In the bottom of the sixth, Venezuela scored three times to extend their one-run lead to a 10-6 advantage. After a scoreless final three innings, Venezuela had completed their upset.

Despite the loss, the United States has successfully qualified for the semifinals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Gerardo Parra of Venezuela - Source: Newscom

On Monday, two exciting contests took place during the 2009 World Series Classic. The first game saw Cuba go up against Mexico. The loser of this game was to be eliminated.

After getting up early, Cuba saw Mexico tie the ballgame. But a five-run spurt put Cuba up for good. Mexico made a late rally but it was too little, too late for Mexico. Cuba, on the other hands, lives to play another day.

In the other game on Monday, Puerto Rico went up against Venezuela. In this contest, the winner advanced and the loser would go against the United States in an elimination game. Venezuela got a run in the third and a run in the seventh and that ended up being all they needed. Starter Felix Hernandez was dominant and Puerto Rico was held to only five hits in their 2-0 loss.

Puerto Rico will now face the United States on Tuesday night. The loser of the game will be sent packing. The good news for Puerto Rico is that they dominated the U.S. in their previous game, winning by a final margin of 11-1.

Source: Newscom

The United States recently lost a game to Venezuela in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Against Puerto Rico, the United States didn’t just lose — they got destroyed. When all was said and done, Puerto Rico had won 11-1 after the mercy rule came into play.

Carlos Beltran and Felipe Lopez hit homeruns for Puerto Rico, while Carlos Delgado had two RBIs and Ivan Rodriguez had three hits. Puerto Rico remains undefeated in the 2009 WBC.

American starting pitcher Jake Peavy got rocked in his two innings of work. He allowed six hits, six homeruns and only struck out one batter. At the plate, the United States only got six hits.

Next up on the WBC schedule, the Americans will play the Netherlands. The loser of that game will be eliminated from the World Baseball Classic 2009.

Here’s a look at the standings for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. While it’s not much of a surprise that Cuba and Puerto Rico are undefeated, it is surprising that teams like the United States and Japan have a loss. And it’s very surprising that the Dominican Republic is eliminated.

POOL A
Korea (3-1)
Japan (2-1)
China (1-2)
Taipei (0-2)

POOL B
Cuba (3-0)
Mexico (2-2)
Australia (1-2)
South Africa (0-2)

POOL C
Venezuela (3-1)
United States (2-1)
Italy (1-2)
Canada (0-2)

POOL D
Puerto Rico (3-0)
Netherlands (2-2)
Dominican Republic (1-2)
Panama (0-2)

Next up is the second round of the World Baseball Classic 2009.

On Tuesday, Venezuala took care of Italy by a final score of 10-1. Cuba rallied late to beat Australia 5-4 after trailing heading into the seventh inning. In the biggest shocker of the tournament so far, the Netherlands beat the Dominican Republic for the second time to eliminate one of the World Baseball Classics’ favorites. The score was tied at zero heading into the 11th. After the Dominican Republic scored in the top half of the inning, the Netherlands scored twice in the bottom of the 11th to win the ballgame.

On Wednesday, Mexico demolished Australia 16-1 in a game that was actually scoreless heading into the third inning. Puerto Rico then did something the Dominican Republic simply couldn’t do — beat the Netherlands. In another shocker, the United States lost to Venezuela by a final score of 5-3.

On Thursday, the only game on the schedule is Mexico going up against Cuba.