Riaan 
Shohei Ohtani utshele izintatheli zaseJapan ngeSonto ukuthi uzotholakala kuphela ukuze aphume esibayeni senkunzi I-World baseball Classic NgoLwesibili lokugcina kufanele iJapan ihlule iMexico kowandulela owamanqamu.
“Angicabangi ukuthi likhona ithuba lokuthi ngiqale, kodwa-ke ngingathanda ukuzilungiselela ukuze ngidlale ngokukhululeka,” kusho u-Ohtani ngesiJapane ekhuluma nezintatheli. “Lokho kuzoncika esimweni sami somzimba. Kuze kube manje, iqembu liye lalalela ngempela izicelo zami zobugovu futhi ziningi izinto engizenzayo elizibekezelele.
“Lokhu ukuphela kokuphela. Kusukela lapha, ngithanda ukuba nengxoxo nomzimba wami futhi ngenze isinqumo.”
U-Ohtani unikeze ama-runs amabili ngokushaya okune futhi waphonsa izinkundla ezingama-71 kuma-innings angu-4 ⅔ IJapan inqobe kuma-quarterfinal ihlula i-Italy eTokyo ngoLwesine ebusuku. Enye yezinkundla bekuyibhola elisheshayo elingu-102 mph – inkundla enzima kunawo wonke ake waphonswa njengochwepheshe. Ukubalwa kwemali ngomehluko wesikhathi, u-Ohtani wayezongena ngoLwesibili ngokuphumula kwezinsuku ezi-4½. Akakaze aphumule ngaphansi kwezinsuku ezinhlanu.
Isihlabani sezingelosi ezimbili sibe ngomunye wabashayi abaphambili kulo mqhudelwano. Epuletini, uneminyaka engu-7 kwabangu-16 (.438) ngokugijima kwasekhaya okukodwa, ukuphinda kabili kathathu, ukuhamba ngezinyawo okuyisishiyagalombili nama-RBI ayisishiyagalombili. Endundumeni, uyeke ama-run amabili – womabili edlala ne-Italy – kuma-innings angu-8 ⅔ phezu kokuqala kokubili.
Imenenja yaseJapan u-Hideki Kuriyama wenqabile ukusho ukuthi u-Ohtani uzodlala yini kowamanqamu.
“Mayelana nokudlala, kunezinkinga zamasu futhi kukhona nokucatshangelwa ngomzimba wakhe,” kusho uKuriyama ngemuva kokujima kweJapan eDepot Park. “Ngeke ngisho okwamanje.”
Njengoba u-Ohtani elinganiselwe, iJapane ingase iphendukele ku-Yu Darvish ukuqala umdlalo endundumeni. I-Darvish iphinde yadlala ngoLwesine ibhekene ne-Italy kodwa ngaphandle kwe-bullpen. Uyeke ukugijima okukodwa waphonsa izinkundla ezingama-27 kuma-innings amabili.
I-Japan idinga ihlule iMexico kowandulela owamanqamu NgoMsombuluko ngokutholakala kwe-pitch yangoLwesibili kubalulekile. Kuzoba umsebenzi kaPatrick Sandoval ukusiza ukwenza lokho kungasho lutho.
Leli nxele le-Angels lizoqala okwesibili kulo mqhudelwano eMexico ngoMsombuluko ngemuva kokubamba iTeam USA i-run eyodwa kuma-innings amathathu ngesikhathi iMexico inqoba ePhoenix ngoMashi 12. USandoval ubhekane nozakwabo we-Angels uMike Trout kabili, wamshaya kanye emhambisa okwesibili.
NgoMsombuluko, uzobhekana nelinye lamaqembu ahloselwe ukunqoba lo mqhudelwano kanye ne-Ohtani, elinye ithalente le-Angels. USandoval uthe ukhulume kafushane no-Ohtani enkundleni ngeSonto phakathi kokujima kwamaqembu, kodwa wathi ukufana okuzayo akuzange kuxoxwe.
“O, impela, yebo, ngaphandle kokungabaza,” kusho uSandoval oneminyaka engu-26 ubudala ngesikhathi ebuzwa ukuthi kuzoba nenkulumo kadoti yini e-clubhouse ye-Angels ngemuva komqhudelwano. “Ngizomazisa uTrout, nakanjani [that I struck him out]. Ngethemba ukuthi nami ngingazisa u-Ohtani. Kodwa, yebo, kumnandi. Sine-clubhouse enhle lapho futhi abafana bathanda ukunikezana ama-crap. Ngakho kumnandi. Kuzoba mnandi.”
U-Roki Sasaki, mhlawumbe umgadli ohamba phambili emhlabeni hhayi kumaligi amakhulu, uzoqala ngokubhekene neSandoval yaseJapan.
U-Sasaki uneminyaka engu-21. Uzishaya isifuba ngebhola elisheshayo elingu-100 mph. Ngo-Ephreli odlule, waphonsa umdlalo ophelele ngokushaya okungu-19 kuChiba Lotte. Ulandele ukuphuma ngama-innings aphelele ayisishiyagalombili kanye nokushaya okungu-14 ngaphambi kokuthi akhishwe kumdlalo ongenamaphuzu ngenxa yokuqapha.
“Umncane ngokweminyaka,” kusho uKuriyama, “kodwa ungumgadli osethuthuke waze wafika kuleli qophelo ngokuba ngumdlali onekhono owakhula ngesivinini esifanayo nokukhula komzimba wakhe.”
USasaki uthe iphupho lakhe wukudlala esigabeni esikhulu. Umbuzo uthi nini.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi ngizodlala eJapan,” kusho uSasaki esebenzisa utolika. “Bese ngicabanga ukuthi kukhona okuzocaca uma sengizoshintsha.”
U-Ohtani, 28, wake waba yisimanga eJapan. Ufakazele ukuphonsa – futhi ukushaya – impumelelo e-Japan ihumusha kuma-majors. I-Velocity idlala noma yikuphi futhi bobabili banayo. Uma kungenzeka iJapan ifinyelele kowamanqamu, womabili amathalente angangena eqhulwini kwesinye sezigaba ze-baseball ezinkulu kakhulu emhlabeni.
Umbhali wekholamu yabasebenzi uDylan Hernández ufake isandla kulo mbiko.
