USA into first World Baseball Classic final with 2-1 win over Japan – as it happened

That’s all for now. Thanks as always for following along with us. Be sure to check out our full report on tonight’s soggy semi-final below and join us on Wednesday for minute-by-minute coverage of USA v Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic final!

“Unfinished business,” says Adam Jones, who had the game-winning RBI for the United States. “I tip my hat to the Japanes team. They don’t know us, we don’t know them. But I think it was a great game to watch for anyone. And now we get a chance to see Puerto Rico again.”

Indeed, Team USA will get a second crack at Puerto Rico after their 6-5 loss on Friday, when the Americans staged a dramatic rally that fell 90 feet short.

Japan 1-2 USA, middle of ninth inning

Ryo Akiyoshi – whose 144 (!) appearances for the Tokyo Swallows is most of any Central League pitcher over the last two seasons – replaces Miyanshi, who faced one batter and threw only two pitches.

• Andrew McCutchen steps to the plate with one out and Hosmer at second, representing a vital insurance run. He takes an 89mph fastball for a strike, then fouls off a second. He takes a slider for a ball, but then pops out to shortstop Hayato Sakamoto for the second out.
• That brings Buster Posey to the plate. He takes a slider for a strike before popping out to second.

Japan will now send their 5-6-7 hitters to the plate with their tournament on the line, three outs from elimination.

Japan 1-2 USA, one out in top of ninth inning

Naoki Miyanishi, a pitcher with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, replaces Hirano.

• Eric Hosmer swings and misses on a fastball, but then crushes a slider into the left-center gap for a ground rule double.
  

Now Japan, with their tournament hopes hanging in the balance, will make another pitching change.

Japan 1-2 USA, one out in top of ninth inning

Yoshihisa Hirano of the Orix Buffaloes is in the game, replacing Kodai Senga, who struck out five over two innings but surrendered two hits and what may be the game-winning run. Ginjiro Sumitani enters at catcher, replacing pinch runner Kosuke Tanaka in the No9 hole.

• Nolan Arenado strikes out swining on three pitches. That’s a golden sombrero for the Colorado Rockies third baseman, who’s fanned four times tonight.
  

And now Japan, leaving nothing to risk, will make another pitching change.

Japan 1-2 USA, end of eighth inning

• Tsutsugoh swings and misses at a strike, then takes a ball. He takes a fastball for a strike. Then Tsutsugoh sends a long drive into right field ... oh dear! It sails into the night but McCutchen settles in front of the warning track and calmly makes the catch. The United States are now three outs away from their first ever World Baseball Classic final.
  

Japan 1-2 USA, two outs in bottom of eighth inning

Mark Melancon, a recent signee with the San Francisco Giants who is making his WBC debut after joining Team USA off the designated pitchers list, replaces Sam Dyson on the mound. He will face a pinch hitter as Seiichi Uchikawa replaces the catcher and No9 hitter Seiji Kobayachi.

• Uchikawa, a five-time NPB all-star who play for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, takes a cutter for a strike but then rips a single to right field. He’s then removed for pinch runner Kosuke Tanaka.
• That turns the lineup over for Tetsuto Yamada, who diligently bunts Tanaka over to second. Japan now have a runner in scoring position with one out for Ryosuke Kikuchi, who had the game-tying home run in the sixth. He takes a 90mph slider for a strike, then fouls off a curveball to fall behind 0-2. He then swings and misses on a cutter for Japan’s second out.
• It’s up to Norichika Aoki. The Houston Astros outfielder hits the dirt when a cutter is aimed dangerously close to his head. Ball one. Then another note of chin music and Aoki hits the dirt once more. Ball two. He takes a slider for ball three, then another for a four-pitch walk.

And that brings Yoshimoto Tsutsugoh of the Yokohama Baystars to the plate. Japan’s biggest power threat, Tsutsugoh led the Central League in home runs and RBIs last season. It’s enough to prompt USA manager Jim Leyland to make a change. He’s going to bring in Philadelphia Phillies righty Pat Neshek in to replace Melancon.

Japan 1-2 USA, middle of eighth inning

Christian Yelich steps to the place and takes a fastball for a strike. He then takes three bals before fouling off a fastball for a full count. He then swings and misses on a 85mph change-up for the final out ... but the damage has been done! The USA lead 2-1 and Japan are down to their final six outs!

Japan 1-1 USA, end of seventh inning

Sam Dyson of the Texas Rangers has replaced Andrew Miller, who leaves after two-thirds of an inning with one walk and one strikeout.

• Hayato Sakamoto of the Yomiuri Giants grounds out to short to start the inning.
• Nobuhiro Matsuda then gets on top of a 94mph fastball and grounds out to third.
• That brings Shogo Akiyama to the plate. He takes a pair of fastballs for balls before swinging and missing on a 94mph fastball. He then grounds meekly to second base, an easy play for Kinsler.

A 1-2-3 inning for the United States and we’re headed to the eighth inning knotted at one apiece.

Japan 1-1 USA, middle of seventh inning

• Eric Hosmer takes a 95mph fastball for a ball, then watches as Senga’s curve and fastball are called for strikes. He then strikes out on a foul tip.
• Andrew McCutchen then works the count to 2-2 before swinging and missing on a 94mph fastball.
• That brings Buster Posey to the plate, who works the count to 2-2 before looking at a 85mph changeup that’s called for a strike.

Senga has struck out the side and is up to a tournament-leading 14 strikeouts.

Japan 1-1 USA, end of sixth inning

Andrew Miller now in the game to pitch for the United States with one out.

• Nori Aoki works a full count and then takes an 83mph slider for ball four. A walk! And the go-ahead run is on base.
• Yoshimoto Tsutsugoh of the Yokohama Baystars, Japan’s clean-up hitter, then works a full count before Miller tries again with the slider. This one, an 82mph offering, entices a swing and a miss and the second out of the inning.
• Now it’s Sho Nakata, who quickly falls in the hole at 0-2 before popping out to Ian Kinsler.

It looks like Tomoyuki Sugano’s night is over. Japan will insert relief pitcher Kodai Senga, a two-time Japan Series champion with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, to pitch to USA’s 5-6-7 hitters.

Japan 0-1 USA, end of fifth inning

• Adam Jones jumps on the first pitch, a 91mph fastball, and drives it into left field for a leadoff single.
• Christian Yelich is at the plate. Jones races for second on a botched hit and run ... and Seiji Kobayashi throws him out! The Yomiuri Giants catched led the Central League with 36% of attempted runners thrown out last season.
• Now Nolan Arenado, who fouls off a fastball (90mph), swings and misses on another fastball (93mph) and then is called out looking at another fastball (95mph).

That’s six strikeouts in six innings for Sugano, who’s up to 81 pitches (48 strikes).

Japan 0-1 USA, end of fifth inning

Chicago White Sox right-hander Nate Jones comes in for Roark, who leaves the game having scattered two hits over four innings with a walk and a strikeout. Jones will face the 7-8-9 hitters of Japan.

• Nobuhiro Matsuda grounds out to first. He was initially called safe but the call is overturned on a review, the fifth of the night!
• Shogo Akiyama of the Saitama Seibu Lions then lines a 97mph fastball to center field, where Adam Jones makes the grab.
• That brings up the catcher Seiji Kobayasha, who goes down swining on an 88mph slider.

And Jones has retired the side on nine pitches! An unearned run is all that separates the United States and Japan at this stage.

Japan 0-1 USA, middle of fifth inning

• Giancarlo Stanton works a 2-2 count then goes down swinging on a 94mph cutter, Sugano’s fifth of the night.
• Brandon Crawford, the No9 hitter, then jumps on the first pitch – again – and grounds out to the pitcher. The San Francisco Giants pitcher has now seen exactly two pitches tonight.
• That turns the lineup over for Kinsler, who sends a fastball to deep right field but not far enough, as Aoki makes the catch for the third out.

Japan 0-1 USA, end of fourth inning

• Nori Aoki, the Houston Astros shortstop, takes a pair of curveballs for balls but then grounds out to Kinsler.
• Yoshimoto Tsutsugoh of the Yokohama Baystars takes three straight fastballs for balls. Roark fights back to for a full count before missing on an 85mph slider to walk Tsutsugoh.
• Sho Nakata then lines out to right field on a 1-1 fastball.
• Hayato Sakamoto of the Yomiuri Giants fouls off a pair of pitches to fall in the hole at 0-2, then lines out to right field. A few well-hit balls for Japan but nothing doing through four.

Japan 0-1 USA, middle of fourth inning

• Buster Posey takes a ball in the dirt before popping up to shortstop Hayato Sakamoto for the third out ...
  

... but the United States have struck first and lead 1-0 in the middle of the fourth. And with the weather conditions seemingly turning for the worse – and the rules stating that a semi-final will become official if stopped for weather once five complete innings have been played – the run could prove crucial.

Japan 0-0 USA, end of third inning

• Shogo Akiyama of the Saitama Seibu Lions, the No8 hitter, will lead off the bottom of the third. He lines out sharply to the pitcher on a 2-1 fastball.
• Seiji Kobayashi of Yomiuri Giants is next and he works a full count before singling to left field.
• Back to the top of the order where Tetsudo Yamada takes a ball and watches as Roark makes a couple of pickoff attempts. Yamada then rips a 1-2 fastball to the shortstop Crawford, who manages to get the lead runner on a force out. The translator is out and it appears Japan will be asking for a crew chief review on whether Kinsler’s foot was on the bag. It takes only a few seconds for the umpires to confirm the call.
• Ryosuke Kikuchi steps to the plate with two outs and a runner on first ... and Yamada steals second on Roark’s first pitch, a 90mph cutter that’s called a ball. They’re going to review this one also. It, too, is confirmed. Four challenges already in this game. Roark’s 33rd pitch of the night is then grounded to third, where Nolan Arenado easily makes the third to Eric Hosmer for the third and final out.

Japan 0-0 USA, middle of third inning

• Buster Posey, the No7 hitter, takes a curveball for a ball before stroking a slider into left field for Team USA’s first base hit of the game.
• Then Giancarlo Stanton rips a 1-1 pitch to Japanese third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda, who makes a highlight-reel grab and springs to his feet to turn a 5-4-3 double play. Two outs! Except USA manager Jim Leyland belives Japan’s second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi was off the bag and missed the force out. He’ll appeal to the umpires and instant replay confirm his view. That means Posey is safe at second and the USA will have a runner in scoring position with one out for ...
• ... the No9 hitter Brandon Crawford. The San Fracisco Giants shortshop jumps on the first pitch, a slider, and grounds out to second base for the second out, though it moves Posey to third.
• Now it’s Kinsler, who takes a pair of fastballs for balls. He then takes a slider for another ball. A 3-0 count with Adam Jones on deck. Sugano then fires a curveball straight down the middle for a strike with Kinsler taking all the way, then gets him to foul off a fastball for a full count. Kinsler then grounds out to third on a 3-2 slider and Sugano – and Japan – escape the inning unscathed.

Japan 0-0 USA, end of second inning

• Sho Nakata of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters falls behind 1-2 in the count and then bites on an 86mph slider for a strikeout.
• Hayato Sakamoto of the Yomiuri Giants, the No6 hitter, hits a 1-1 fastball for a high chopper that deflects off Roark’s glove to the second baseman Kinsler, who can’t make the play as Sakomoto reaches safely ...
• ... but it’s for naught as Nobuhiro Matsuda hits a grounder sharply to second, allowing Kinsler to easily turn an inning-ending double play.

Japan 0-0 USA, middle of second inning

• Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies takes a ball then falls behind 1-2. He takes another ball for 2-2 but then Sugano gets him on an 86mph slider (on an appeal to the first-base umpire).
• Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals then grounds out to second base. It’s reviewed by the umpires but the call is quickly confirmed.
• Now it’s Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who swings and misses on a cutter before taking another for a ball. He swings and misses on a slider to fall behind 1-2, then takes another ball to level the count. McCutchen takes an 82mph curveball for a full count, but then grounds out to short to end the inning.

The rain is really starting to come down now. It’s possible that five innings could settle a winner tonight, though we certainly hope it doesn’t come to that.

Japan 0-0 USA, end of first inning

Now Roark steps to the mound, hoping for a better outing than his ill-fated relief appearance against the Dominican Republic earlier in the tournament.

• Tetsudo Yamada of the Tokyo Swallows takes a strike, but he’s struck by Roark’s second pitch and Japan has a baserunner.
• Ryosuke Kikuchi of the Hiroshima Carp will look to bunt Yamada over. He missed on the first pitch, takes the second pitch for a ball, but finally connects on the third. Perfectly executed and Japan now have a runner in scoring position without the benefit of a base hit.
• Nori Aoki, who plays for the MLB’s Houston Astros, grounds out to second base. That’s the second out but it moves Yamada to third.
• Now clean-up hitter Yoshimoto Tsutsugoh of the Yokohama Baystars steps up. He fouls off a fastball but then sends the second pitch into left field, where Yelich makes the easy catch.

Japan 0-0 USA, middle of first inning

Tomoyuki Sugano leads his side on to the field from cheers from the many Japanese fans in the building.

• Ian Kinsler takes the first pitch for a ball, then a slider for a called strike before sending a fastball to the warning track in rightfield, where Norichika Aoki easily makes the catch.
• Adam Jones takes a ball then fouls off a slider. He slices the third pitch foul, seemingly out of play along the first baseline, but Sho Nakata – a converted first baseman who won a title with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters last year – manages to make the catch for the second out! What a play!
• Christian Yelich takes a slider for a strike before taking two more off-speed offerings for balls. Then he fouls off a cutter. Now Sugano comes back with a 94mph fastball that Yelich can’t catch up with. He’s out and it’s a 1-2-3 inning for Japan.

Legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda is throwing out the ceremonial first pitch ... along with Hideo Nomo, who was the first Japanese major leaguer to permanently relocate to Major League Baseball when he came to Los Angeles in 1995. A nice touch. Not much longer now.

There’s only one change in USA manager Jim Leyland’s lineup from the team he started in Saturday’s win over the Dominican Republic. Buster Posey, hitting seventh, replaces Jonathan Lucroy at catcher: a move not unexpected as the players have alternated games behind the plate throughout the tournament. He’s joined by Ian Kinsler, Adam Jones, Christian Yelich, Nolan Arenado, Eric Hosmer and Andrew McCutchen hitting one through six, with Giancarlo Stanton and Brandon Crawford hitting eighth and ninth. That’s eight MLB all-stars in all.

Here’s a look at the pitching matchup.

Before we turn to USA v Japan ... here’s a wonderful piece on the hair dye shortage in Puerto Rico related to the World Baseball Classic.

Pharmacies and beauty stores across Puerto Rico are running out of hair dye as a growing number of men go blond in support of the island’s baseball players who bleached their hair as a bonding ritual ahead of the World Baseball Classic.

What began as a joke among team members playing in California has spread across the island in a trend that spiked Tuesday just hours after Puerto Rico beat the Netherlands in 11 innings to reach the championship game undefeated in the tournament, which is held every four years. Puerto Rico will play Wednesday in the final against the winner of Tuesday night’s game between the United States and Japan.

“Ever since they began winning, this has not stopped,” said Myrna Rios, a manager at a Sally Beauty Supply store in the capital of San Juan. “We have run out of the product in most of our stores.”

Copper blond, platinum blond, golden blond – all shades of blond (even burnt orange) are turning heads in a US territory where the majority of men have thick, dark hair and are now getting teased about looking like Ken dolls. Those who are bald have opted to dye their beards or goatees in a nod to Puerto Rico coach Carlos Delgado.

“We have been able to unite our country with our blond hair,” said star Carlos Correa, who hit a two-run homer and scored the winning run against the Netherlands. “That’s what we want as players to unite our country, our people, and give them the best.”

Men ranging from news anchors to university students to professionals have embraced a trend that has sparked the rallying cry of “Team Rubio!” or “Team Blond” in Spanish.

Hello and welcome to Dodger Stadium for the World Baseball Classic semi-final between the United States and Japan. For a while it looked as if tonight’s game would be postponed for rain, but the tarp has been removed from the infield and it looks as if we’ll make the scheduled 6pm start time in Los Angeles, roughly a half hour from now.

It’s a rematch of the 2009 semi-final, when Daisuke Matsuzaka earned the win over Roy Oswalt en route to Japan’s second straight title. This time the Americans will turn to Tanner Roark of the Washington Nationals as they look to advance to the final for the first time ever.

Whoever prevails tonight will have their hands full in tomorrow’s final against Puerto Rico, who improved to 7-0 in the tournament after an extra-innings win over the Netherlands in last night’s first semi-final. The highly entertaining scrap was finally settled on an 11th-inning sacrifice fly by Eddie Rosario that drove in Carlos Correa, the Houston Astros’ star shortstop.

Puerto Rico reached the championship game last time out in 2013 before falling to the Dominican Republic. This time, behind the core of Correa, Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor and Yadier Molina, they’ll look to go one further.