When Japan won the WBC, they are ‘confident’.
Murakami Munetaka (23, Yakult Swallows) recently made a statement that did not acknowledge the difference in skills between Japan and the major leagues.
According to Japanese media such as Sports Hochi, when asked about the difference between Japan and the major leagues, Murakami said, “There is no difference. The level and skill of Japanese baseball, which has become the world’s best, has improved. We beat America,” he replied.
It is a statement that a passing cow will laugh at.
True to his words, Japan defeated the United States 3-2 in the final. 안전놀이터
According to that logic, since Korea won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, it should have been the best in the world. is it?
In the case of the United States, major league players did not even participate in the Olympics at the time.
The U.S. did include star-level major league players in this WBC. However, there was virtually no top-class pitchers. Merrill Kelly, whom I faced in the final, is honestly just a mediocre pitcher in the major leagues. Superstars such as Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Gary Cole and Jacob deGrom did not participate.
Instead, in Japan, top-class major league players such as Shohei Otani and Yu Darvish and Japan’s best pitchers were all covered.
It is true that Japanese baseball is strong. American baseball experts also agree that the level of Japanese baseball is second only to the major leagues. Some argue that it is between the major league and minor league triple-A.
It is unreasonable to compare the level of Japanese baseball to that of the U.S. as well as the major leagues, just by looking at Triple-A players making great strides in the NPB. There is virtually no player who has become a top-class player in the major leagues after succeeding in Japan.
Murakami’s remarks are reminiscent of those of Ichiro Suzuki. Suzuki said he wants to make the opposing team feel like they can’t beat us for the next 30 years. However, Japan was defeated by Korea. However, it is not a conclusion that Korean baseball is better than Japan.
Therefore, Murakami’s remarks are merely expressions of confidence.