Japan Advances to WBC Final

Japan defeated USA 9-4 in semifinal play in the World Baseball Classic, setting up a final game showdown with South Korea. After giving up a leadoff homerun to Brian Roberts, Daisuke Matzusaka was able to shut down the US bats and send the squad that most had tabbed as favorites back to Spring Training for their respective MLB teams. Plagued by errors in the field and inconsistent pitching, Team USA - playing in Los Angeles - once again failed to reach the finals of the WBC.

Japan moves on to face South Korea at 9:30pm ET on ESPN and will attempt to win its second WBC Championship.

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