Baseball: Japan beats Cuba behind Matsuzaka, to face S. Korea again in WBC+

SAN DIEGO, California, March 16 Kyodo -
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched six shutout innings and his teammates pounded out 12
hits as Japan beat perennial powerhouse Cuba 6-0 Sunday in the second round of
the World Baseball Classic.

Defending champion Japan will next play Tuesday against South Korea, which
routed Mexico 8-2 later Sunday, for a spot in the semifinals. The two Asian
rivals will meet for the third time in the 2009 Classic after splitting two
games in the first round in Tokyo.
Matsuzaka held the Cubans to five hits, striking out eight and walking none in
an 86-pitch outing at PETCO Park, where he was named the tournament MVP after
throwing four solid innings in the 2006 final against Cuba.
Three relievers combined with the Boston Red Sox right-hander on an eight-hit
shutout.
''Today I tried to pitch better than my previous outing in Tokyo,'' said
Matsuzaka, who allowed two runs in four innings in a 14-2 rout of South Korea
on March 7.
Japan improved its win-loss record against Cuba to 3-6 since the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics. Matsuzaka has started in all three wins.
''I didn't get a chance to pitch in an exhibition game in Arizona. I pitched on
seven days' rest. But I often pitch on this many days' rest in a regular
season, so I just prepared for today just as usual,'' Matsuzaka said.
Japan loaded the bases with one out in the third inning against hard-throwing
left-hander Aroldis Chapman on singles from Kenji Jojima, Akinori Iwamura and
Yasuyuki Kataoka.
The team, nicknamed ''Samurai Japan,'' then got on the board on a wild pitch by
reliever Norberto Gonzalez.
Norichika Aoki followed with an RBI single and Shuichi Murata added a sacrifice
fly for a 3-0 lead in the third.
Japan made it 5-0 on Ichiro Suzuki's RBI groundout in the fourth and Seiichi
Uchikawa's run-scoring single in the fifth.
''Yesterday I simulated today's game against Cuba, and it turned out to be
better than I expected. I like the way we scored three runs in the third inning
-- team efforts,'' Japan manager Tatsunori Hara said.
''This win should be a major boost for the team and our step toward the finals
in Los Angeles. Our biggest goal for now is to get one more win (for a spot in
the semifinals).''
Michihiro Ogasawara, Jojima and Iwamura each had two hits for Japan. Suzuki
went 0-for-5 with an RBI.
The Seattle Mariners star outfielder was impressed with Matsuzaka's outing.
''He stepped up and pitched so well when we needed him to. He has some special
talent,'' Suzuki said. ''We play solid defense. That's why we don't put
ourselves in the hole.''
Cuba will play an elimination game Monday against the Mexico-South Korea game.
''This is a game that was not good enough for the wonderful rivals that
confronted each other,'' Cuba manager Higinio Velez said of the loss to Japan.
''Perhaps Chapman felt the pressure, maybe he was not at his best, but the
21-year-old guy still has a long way to go.''
Chapman's fastball was clocked at 100 miles per hour in the third inning, but
he struggled with his command, walking three and needing 50 pitches over 2-1/3
innings.
At Dolphin Stadium in Miami, the United States eliminated the Netherlands with
a 9-3 victory and is now one win away from a semifinal berth.
==Kyodo