Riaan 
Shohei Ohtani uveze ubukhona bakhe ngesikhathi eshaya okokuqala iJapan ihlula i-Italy ngo 9-3 emdlalweni owodwa I-World baseball Classic umdlalo wama-quarterfinal ngoLwesine, kodwa lokho bekungesona isiteleka sakhe esijabulisa kakhulu ekuphumeni kwakhe.
Lokho kungokushaywa kwakhe uVinnie Pasquantino kwi-inning yesibili, efike ngebhola lakhe elisheshayo lamamayela ayi-102 ngehora. Leyo nkundla ibishesha kakhulu ukuphonswa kwayo kusukela asayina ne-Angels ngo-2018. Iphimbo lakhe elisheshayo langaphambilini lalingu-101.4 mph, aliphonsa ngoSepthemba 10, 2022, ngokumelene ne-Houston Astros. U-Ohtani wayeke waphonsa i-fastball engu-102.5 mph phambilini, ngesikhathi esadlalela iHokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters kuNippon Professional baseball.
Kodwa umyalo ka-Ohtani wantengantenga nge-inning yesihlanu, ngemuva kokuthi eshaye abashaya ababili futhi wadela ama-runs amabili nama-runs amabili awazuzile, okwenze umphathi we-Samurai Japan u-Hideki Kuriyama amkhiphe ekuphumeni kwakhe ngaphambi kokuthi aphume ku-inning.
Yize ehlale kumdlalo njengomshayi oqokiwe, umugqa wokugcina ka-Ohtani ekuqaleni kwakhe uphinde wafaka ukushaywa okuhlanu, ukushaywa okune, ukuhamba ngezinyawo kanye nezinkundla ezingama-71 eziphonswe kuma-innings angu-4 2/3. Epuletini, u-Ohtani uhambe u-1 kwaba-4 wathola ama-runs amabili kanye nokuhamba ngezinyawo, washaya kanye. U-Ohtani ushaya u-.438 (7 ku-16) ngokugijima kwasekhaya, ama-double amathathu ne-RBI ayisishiyagalombili kanye ne-ERA engu-2.08, ama-strikeout angu-10 kanye nokuhamba ngezinyawo okukodwa endundumeni kuyilapho ewina kokubili kokuqala kwakhe ku-WBC. U-Ohtani uzotholakala ngokuphumula kwezinsuku ezine ukuze angene kowamanqamu ngoLwesibili eMiami.
KwaseJapan, kungokwesihlanu leli zwe lidlulela kuma-semifinal e-WBC futhi yilona kuphela iqembu elifinyelele owandulela owamanqamu kuzo zonke izinhlobo zalo mqhudelwano. IJapan, esinqobe izimbangi zayo ngo 47-11 emidlalweni emihlanu yeWBC yalo nyaka, yanqoba lo mqhudelwano ngo-2006 nango-2009, kodwa yahlulwa kowandulela owamanqamu ishaywa yiPuerto Rico ngo-2013 nase-US ngo-2017.
IJapan izobhekana nowine iPuerto Rico neMexico, ezodlala ngoLwesihlanu, emdlalweni owandulela owamanqamu eMiami ngoMsombuluko.
U-Ohtani, obengaphonsanga nelilodwa ibhola elisheshayo ngaphansi kuka-98 mph, abalandeli be-Angels bahlabe umxhwele bevuka e-West Coast ngesikhathi ethintana no-100-mph ocwilisa ibhola ebhekene nozakwabo. UDavid Fletcher – i-at-bat phezulu kwesesithathu egcine ngokuthi umfowabo omdala uFletcher aphume.
Futhi u-Ohtani wamangala ngokujabula lapho ethola ingoma yakhe yokuqala emdlalweni, eyodwa, ngemuva kokushaya phansi kwesesithathu. IJapan ihambe phambili ngo 4-0 kuleyo inning noJoe LaSorsa odlalela i-Italy. UKensuke Kondoh, ofinyelele ohambeni, ushaye igoli endaweni kaMasataka Yoshida. U-Kazuma Okamoto ushaye ama-runs amathathu ekhaya, eshayela e-Ohtani noMunetaka Murakami, naye ofinyelele ekuhambeni.
I-Italy ibuyele esicongweni endaweni yesihlanu. Ngemuva kokuthi u-Ohtani ethathe umhlalaphansi u-Vito Friscia, waqhumisa i-batter yakhe elandelayo, u-Ben DeLuzio, ngemuva. Ukuhlangana kwakhe okulandelayo nozakwabo weqembu le-Angels kuholele ekutheni uFletcher ashaye ibhola ngaphandle kwegebe eliya kwesokudla enkundleni eyodwa.
U-Ohtani ushaye i-batter yesibili, u-Nicky Lopez, ukulayisha izisekelo kuphume oyedwa kumfowabo omncane ka-David, u-Dominic – othole i-Ohtani eyodwa kwi-inning yokuqala. Futhi u-Dominic Fletcher ukhiphe elinye ku-Ohtani ukushayela kuma-run amabili okuqala e-Italy omdlalo. (U-Dominic Fletcher uzophinde alandise ngokunye ukugijima kwe-Italy ngesikhathi ekhipha u-Yu Darvish nge-inning yesishiyagalombili. U-Darvish ukhiphe ama-innings amabili okukhululeka, wavumela amahithi amabili, okuhlanganisa nokugijima kwasekhaya.)
Ngaleso sikhathi, iJapane yayisivele isinembiza efudumalayo esibayeni sayo. Ngemuva kokushaya kwe-RBI ka-Dominic, u-Kuriyama waphuma ezovala isikhala sika-Ohtani endundumeni no-Hiromi Itoh.
Umfutho ube ngowesikhashana ku-Italy, okushodayo kwaphinde kwakhula njengoba iJapan iqhwakele ngo 7-2 emsileni wesihlanu. Umgadli wase-Italy u-Andre Pallante uhambe ku-Ohtani waphuca u-Yoshida ngaphambi kokuthi kuthathwe u-Vinny Nittoli, oyeke ukuphinda kabili emuva ku-Murakami no-Okamoto.
