Earlier this week my family and I traveled to Tokyo to see the WBC and do some sightseeing. Tickets to Monday's games were very affordable and the seating was open so we were able to get nice seats fairly close to behind home plate.
We were treated to a tense game and though it wasn't a big crowd, the fans on both sides were very vocal and there was about an even amount of fans for each team. The Czech fans were very passionate and ignited by the teams first trip to the WBC and also still being alive to advance. For Australia, though they had participated in every WBC they now had their best opportunity to advance to the Final 8, something they hadn't ever done, and their fans were feeling that.
Australia was the road team and the second hitter of the game hit a towering home run to right field giving the Aussies a quick 1-0 lead. The next hitter then hit another blast, this time to left, but it came up a little short and was caught on the warning track. At this point it looked like things may not go well for the Czech starter, Martin Schneider, who's day job I read is actually a firefighter. But from that point on Schneider locked in and shut down Australia's bats with a gutsy performance that lasted almost six innings before he hit his 65-pitch limit.
Czech Republic evened the score in the 3rd at 1-1 and that score held until the 7th inning when the Australia offense started to click against the Czech bullpen. Australia put up crooked numbers in the 7th, 8th and 9th to pull away from there. The Czech offense had some success in the 8th and put some runners on in the 9th but fell short when a well-turned double play killed their rally and sealed the game for the Aussies.
It was fun to enjoy an entirely different baseball experience with national pride on the line. Both teams gave their all and I was impressed by the heart and grit displayed by both sides.
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On the way into Tokyo Dome
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| Nearly 1st Pitch from our seats |
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| Australian fans celebrating their team's victory |
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| The Czech fans giving their team a well-deserved sendoff |
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| Final Score |
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| The next day's view from SkyTree (Tokyo Dome in the distance) |
