Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Ronald Acuña Jr: This is the platonic ideal of the World Baseball Classic. With a nearly packed crowd at Miami’s loanDepot park, Saturday's quarterfinal matchup -- an 8-5 Venezuela win over Japan -- started with the reigning World Series MVP Award winner taking on the 2023 NL MVP Award winner, each playing with their country’s name upon their chests.
It didn’t take long to get an answer on who had the edge: In the first inning of a must-win game, Acuña blasted Yamamoto’s 96 mph fastball over the outfield wall. The Braves outfielder then took his time on the trot, stopping for a quick Eurostep at third base before the man known as “La Bestia” pounded his chest upon arriving at home plate.
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Naturally, it didn’t take long for Japan to respond. In the bottom half of the inning, with Japan’s traveling oendan (or cheer squad) going in full force, Shohei Ohtani launched his own leadoff home run to tie the game. When he arrived at third base, he used the team’s “matcha whisking” celebration that was developed by pitcher Koki Kitayama.
The home runs were the 13th and 14th leadoff home runs in World Baseball Classic history and the first time in the tourney’s 20-year history that two were hit in the same game (information courtesy the incomparable Sarah Langs).
Here are the blasts that came before:
- 3/14/26 PUR Willi Castro
- 3/7/26 GB Nate Eaton
- 3/6/26 BRA Lucas Ramirez
- 3/12/23 CAN Edouard Julien
- 3/14/17 JPN Tetsuto Yamada
- 3/9/17 MEX Esteban Quiroz
- 3/12/13 NED Andrelton Simmons
- 3/10/13 JPN Takashi Toritani
- 3/22/09 USA Brian Roberts
- 3/20/06 CUB Eduardo Paret
- 3/15/06 PUR Bernie Williams
- 3/12/06 JPN Ichiro Suzuki
No game in MLB history has featured leadoff homers from two players who had already won MVP in their careers, according to Elias Sports Bureau.