◆WBC Quarterfinals: Japan vs. Venezuela (March 14, Miami, Florida, USA - Lone Depot Park)

Samurai Japan's Atsuki Taneichi pitcher moved up to mound from the seventh inning with two runs behind in the quarterfinals against Venezuela, and overcame a powerful batting line with no runs. After hitting the lead Garcia on a ground ball and Arraes on a grounder, Suarez sealed it with a three-pitch struck out. However, in the 8th inning, he allowed a doble to the left to the lead, and gave up an additional run with a bad throw to second base. The lead extended to 3 points.

This tournament marks Taneichi's first selection to the WBC. Prior to the tournament, he had pitched in two games, delivering an impressive pitch with a total of two runs innings.

The team's pitcher, Hiromi Ito (Nippon-Ham), came in as a reliever in the sixth inning with a one-run lead, but he gave up a massive three-run homer to Abreu (Red Sox), allowing the Red Sox to take the lead.