For the second consecutive time, Japan has won the World Baseball Classics. Considering there’s only been two, it’s a pretty impressive feat made even more so by downing their archrival South Korea. For you none baseball fans this rivalry is the equivalent of Lakers vs Celtics, USC vs Texas, and Republicans vs Democrats in their respective sports.

I only tuned in after the start of the 9th inning, or the last frame of the game. Japan was up 3-2 and coming up to bat. First guy up was super-mega-all-start Ichiro, also known as the only man in baseball with one name, and he of course gets on base. Japan threatened to score a couple of times in this inning but couldn’t get the clutch hit to break the game open. It’ll come back to haunt them later.

Bottom of the 9th, South Korea has three chances to score one run and tie the game. Japan sends its rising phenom pitcher to the mound, The Legend of Yu Darvish. He’s 22 years-old and supposedly good enough to be a top starter here in America. Darvish gives the first guy a free pass to first base and strikes out the next guy. He repeats this again to put two South Koreans on base and getting two outs. South Korea has one out left and mighty Bum Ho Lee comes to plate. Because I used the adjective mighty, he gets a hit and the game is tied at 3 a piece. The winning run stands 90 feet away on 3rd base but Darvish, true to his pattern, strike outs the next guy to send the game into extra innings.

Top of the 10th now and Japan is back at the plate. Chang Yong Lim heads to the mound to pitch one of the most important innings in the history of Korean baseball. He is probably Korea’s best clutch pitcher so it’s only fitting he’s on the mound. Unfortunately for him, between some questionable management decision and the intense pressure of the situation, Japan scored two runs off him. With a Japanese runner on second and third base and Ichiro – the guy who already had three hits in the game and thousands of hits in his lifetime - at the plate, the most strategic thing to do is give the guy a free pass to first base and face a much weaker hitter next. Perhaps it would mean more to get the star Japanese hitter out instead of walking him but that’s emotion and not reason. Time and time again, Ichiro gets the big hit in these situation and this time was no different. Japan is up 5-3.

Fortunately for South Korea they get three more chances to tie or take the lead. Unfortunately they’re facing the Legend of Yu Darvish. He strikes out two more and gets another to pop the ball to the Japanese center fielder. Game over, Japanese repeats as tournament champions!

Korea and Japan faced each other five times this tournament. Korea won the first three; Japan won the two that mattered. Same as last tournament, Korea beat Japan four times, but Japan won the one that mattered.

And so the Legend of Yu Darvish continues. Count me as one of the guys impressed with his talents. Korea’s Hyunjin Ryu, one of their best starting pitchers, is getting some hype as well. But there’s a lot less data on his performance so hard to tell where he’ll stand compared to major leaguers.

Very good game overall which is expected anytime these two matches up. I guess Japan gets to keep Dokdo Island for another few years.

Photo Credit: Associated Press (AP)