Team Japan, boosted by countrys economic power, makes racket in WBC bracket

MIAMI — Nobody is saying the quiet part out loud, but nobody has to.The evidence is in the bracket.The World Baseball Classic is being staged for Japan — or more specifically, so that Major League Baseball can extract as much money as it can from the baseball-crazed country.There was fine print in the tournament schedule that ensured Samurai Japan and Team USA could only face each other in the championship game, and Team Ohtani now is practically guaranteed a place in the final.As if Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto didn’t provide them with enough of an advantage.If Samurai Japan defeats Venezuela at loanDepot Park on Saturday in the quarterfinals, it will advance to play Italy or Puerto Rico.The two-time defending WBC champions instead could have been bracing for a semifinal showdown with the Dominican Republic, a particularly frightening prospect for a Japanese team whose pitching hasn’t been as dominant as it was in previous editions of the tournament.How did this happen?So long as Japan made it out of the group stage, whether as Pool C’s first- or second-place team, it was scheduled to play its quarterfinal game Saturday night.

The United States was the other team to know where and when it would play its quarterfinal game, on Friday night in Houston. The runner-up in Pool B was originally scheduled to make its quarterfinal appearance Saturday, but the bracket required reshuffling when that team ended up being Team USA.The loser in this scenario was the Dominican Republic, which suddenly had a formidable obstacle on its road to the finals in Paul Skenes, Team USA’s scheduled starter in the semifinals.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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