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Japan defeats Cuba to win inaugural World Baseball ClassicWritten by Gustavo Rivera, www.latinosportslegends.com March 21, 2006 -- Team Cuba went a long way in the World Baseball Classic, defeating all the teams which were predicted to win it all like the Dominicans, but fell short of one -- Japan. Last night, in front of a sellout crowd of 42,696, Japan defeated Cuba 10-6 to take the crown of the inaugural World Baseball Classic. Cuba, originally barred from participating in the tournament, got off to a rough start when starter, Ormani Romero lasted just 1/3 of an inning after loading the bases before his replacement, Vicyhoandry Odelin, hit the first batter he faced to bring across Tsuyoshi Nishioka for the game's first run. After striking out Tomoya Satozaki, Odelin walked Michihiro Ogasawara to score Suzuki and then served up a slider to Toshiaki Imae for two more runs to double Japan's advantage, chasing the reliever from the game. Cuba would hit back with Eduardo Paret's homer to left field in the bottom of the first but Japan tallied two more runs in fifth to increase their lead to 6-1. Outfielder Frederich Cepeda sparked a Cuban rally in the sixth with an RBI double before Osmani Urrutias hit a run-scoring single to trim the deficit to 6-3. Cepeda's two-run homer in the eighth got Cuba close at 6-5, but Suzuki came up big for Japan, lining a single to right to score a badly needed insurance run before Kosuke Fukudome stroked a bases-loaded, two-run double to clinch the title. "This is a game that will go down in history," said Cuban manager Higinio Velez. "This is the first Classic, it was the first final game of a Classic. Japan won and we congratulate them for that. "I'm unbelievably happy," said Ichiro Suzuki said after winning the inaugural World Baseball Classic. "To be honest, I never imagined we'd get there," he said. "We had a great team, the best. I hope we showed everyone what a great sport baseball is."
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