TOKYO -- One pitch changed Ondřej Satoria’s life -- and he thought it was a mistake. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the Tokyo Dome three years ago, Satoria -- an electrical controller at ČEZ Group in Ostrava, a city on the border of Poland – threw his changeup, which he calls

TOKYO -- Korea began its week celebrating home runs by spreading their arms wide as if they were on an airplane, carrying an inflatable "M" to stand for Miami. On Monday night, needing a win against Australia and for everything to go exactly right, it made it happen. Forget the

Japan has already a clinched a quarterfinals berth and will be hopping on a plane to Miami when this game is over. Czechia will finish last, even if it pulls off one of the game’s greatest upsets, and is ticketed for a Qualifier. That makes Tuesday night at the Tokyo

TOKYO -- Baseball has taken Todd Van Steensel around the world. He's pitched in the Minors for the Phillies and Twins, played for Kinheim in Holland's Honkbal Hoofdklasse, Guadalajara in the Mexican League (for current Mexican national team manager Benji Gil), the Tigres de Aragua in Venezuela's Winter League and

TOKYO -- Connor MacDonald wasn’t supposed to be a pitcher. The Brisbane native actually began his career as a first baseman and outfielder, signing with the Astros and reaching Single-A. He reinvented himself and converted to pitching full-time just three years ago. On Sunday, he was handed the opportunity of

TOKYO – For nearly seven innings, one of the greatest upsets in international baseball history was in the making. With Japan having already qualified for the quarterfinals after Chinese Taipei defeated Korea earlier on Sunday, Australia was in position to book its own ticket with a victory against the defending

TOKYO -- Pressure doesn’t faze Tim Kennelly. How could it? The longtime captain for Team Australia -- he’s held the role since 2018 -- has been in real pressure-packed situations: When he’s away from the field, he’s a firefighter in his hometown of Perth. (He’s not the only firefighter in

It will go down as one of the most memorable World Baseball Classic games in Tokyo Dome’s storied history. Chinese Taipei – which had never defeated Korea in the tournament before – needed a victory to keep its slim hopes of advancing alive. With a win, Korea would set up

TOKYO -- When Jyun-Yue Tseng raced out onto the mound in the seventh inning of Chinese Taipei's 14-0 victory over Czechia on Saturday, over 40,000 fans lifted their phones and flipped on their flashlights, turning the stadium into a sparkling globe filled with screaming, cheering fans. But this wasn’t the

TOKYO -- Seiya Suzuki missed Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic title run with an oblique injury, with the team marking his absence by hanging his No. 51 jersey above the bench in the dugout. In Japan's 8-6 win against Korea on Saturday at Tokyo Dome, the Cubs outfielder showed what

TOKYO -- There’s not many places for a pitcher to hide when facing Samurai Japan. The lineup features one Japanese slugger after another, each with the ability to put the ball over the fence. Facing its rival Korea on Saturday night, Japan showed off that power with three home runs

TOKYO -- Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan, is famed for its fishing, with trout, salmon and crab among the delicacies that can be found in its waters and upon its shoreline. What Hokkaido isn’t known for is its baseball. Samurai Japan right-hander Hiromi Itoh is working on changing that.

TOKYO – Tokyo Dome was packed and the noise was ear-splitting. The fans were cheering and stomping, with horns blaring and drums pounding. But this wasn’t Samurai Japan who was playing: This was the visiting Chinese Taipei, who defeated Czechia 14-0 in a seven-inning mercy rule victory on Saturday afternoon.

TOKYO -- Czechia catcher Martin Červenka is known as “Barry” by his teammates, a nickname he picked up as a child because of his love for watching Barry Bonds. While Bonds owns the Major League home run record with 762, before the start of Czechia’s must-win contest against Chinese Taipei

TOKYO – When Shohei Ohtani plays in Japan, he makes sure to put on a show. He regularly takes batting practice on the field -- something he rarely does in the Majors -- making sure to reward his home country’s fans who fill the ballpark.

TOKYO -- The defending champs and the most talented baseball player on the planet make for a dangerous combination. On Friday night, Samurai Japan began its World Baseball Classic title defense, taking on a Chinese Taipei team that upset it in the 2024 Premier12 tournament.

TOKYO -- Hyun Jin Ryu was just 21 years old and he was pitching in one of the biggest games in the world. It was the gold medal game at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Korea was playing Cuba, one of the all-time greats of international baseball. Korea had missed

TOKYO – When Curtis Mead was growing up, his father, Tim – himself an Australian Baseball League player – tried to push him toward Australian Rules Football. Coming from Australia, a country not traditionally known for its baseball, his father thought a career in the Australian Football League was a

TOKYO -- In 2023, Daddy Yankee -- along with producers Play-N-Skillz -- released the World Baseball Classic anthem, "Chispa." This year, the tournament couldn't be captured in one song, but three. It's the first time that the World Baseball Classic has released a full soundtrack album. Not only that, but

Welcome to ESL Ballpark, home of the Rochester Red Wings. The Red Wings are the oldest non-Major League team in the United States and a beloved city institution. Be ready for a passionate fanbase, load up on the iconic white hot dogs, chug a few beers and prepare to explore

TOKYO -- Korea had one goal when entering the Tokyo Dome for the World Baseball Classic this week: Be on the flight to Miami for the quarterfinals when the week is over. It’s why it celebrated every home run by pantomiming airplane wings as it rounds the bases. On Thursday

TOKYO -- Some ballplayers opt out of the World Baseball Classic in hopes that their time in big league Spring Training may help them win a job. For the Astros' Shay Whitcomb, he may be making the best case while playing for the Korean national team in the World Baseball

When Tokyo's Pool C ends, two teams will head to Haneda Airport and fly to Miami for the quarterfinals. For Korea, which hasn't advanced out of the first round since reaching the championship in 2009, the mission begins there. So, during this past week's two exhibition games in Osaka, there

TOKYO – Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, had been dreaming of this moment for years. In college, he kept a note on his phone outlining his dream 2026 World Baseball Classic lineup, with his name penciled atop manager Dave Nilsson’s lineup. On Thursday, inside

Before the 2023 World Baseball Classic, we went to Prague to shoot a "Behind the Flag" feature on Czechia's national baseball team. There, in the cradle of Central Europe, we met this team of mostly amateur players who each have day jobs ranging from firefighter to electrical engineer to neurologist