◆WBC Quarterfinals: Japan 5-8 Venezuela (March 14, Miami, Florida, USA - Lone Depot Park)

Samurai Japan's Atsuki Taneichi pitcher (27) = Lotte = went up to mound as the 5th from the 7th inning with a 2-run deficit in the WBC quarterfinals against Venezuela, and threw 2 inning to 1 hit 1 runs. In the 8th inning, he scored an additional run with a painful bad throw.

Taneichi got Garcia to ground out to first in the seventh and Alaez to ground out to second, and Suarez sealed the deal with three struck out pitches. But in the 8th inning, he allowed a leadoff single to left doble and gave up an extra run on a two-base hit bad throw. The lead was extended to three runs.

This was Ibata's first time being selected for the WBC. Prior to the tournament, he had pitched in two games, throwing a total of two scoreless innings, showcasing an impressive pitch. runs, his performance in the crucial quarterfinal was disappointing. Ibata's Japan team, which had aimed for a consecutive championship since the 2023 tournament, suffered its first-ever defeat in the WBC quarterfinals. They ran out of steam early in Miami, USA.

After the game, Taneichi said with conviction, "I think my fork will work against overseas batters. I also haven't used my high fastball much in Japan, but I think I can use it in the future, and I've gained confidence in my ability to closer with high and low. Japan won the WBC last time, and I was hoping to be a part of the next team, so I think this tournament was a great opportunity for me to grow. I definitely want to make use of this in the upcoming season, and I also want to play baseball at a higher level, so I'll reflect on this and use it to my advantage in the season."