Originally posted on my MySpace blog, March 13, 2006:
When Major League Baseball announced last year that there would be a "world championship" tournament for baseball, much in the same manner as soccer's World Cup, I was a little hesitant to favor it because of the timing the tournament would take place: during spring training. But after attending the first two games of the second round yesterday, I got suckered into it.
The tournament started by featuring 16 teams from 16 countries from around the world. Some of the teams featured major leaguers, some had none. And it became pretty obvious after the first round which were the elite teams and which countries weren't because of the lopsided scores in some of the games (i.e. Japan beat China 18-2 in one game, and the United States beat South Africa 17-0 in another).
My family and I had gone out to dinner on Saturday night for my birthday. We went to our usual favorite spot in Encino. It also didn't hurt that we know the owner of the restaurant, and one of his employees is also a good friend of ours. That friend, Francisco, and done of his friend's, had bought six tickets for each of the first two second round games at Angel Stadium yesterday. Our friend, who's Mexican, told me in the restaurant that he and his friend had an extra ticket for the game, and asked if I wanted to go. So I did.
The two games that I witnessed, USA vs. Japan, and Mexico vs. Korea, were very entertaining, well played games. The atmosphere in the stadium was something I have never before experienced. It's one thing to be in a stadium packed with 56,000 fans of your favorite major league team. It's something completely different when you have a stadium almost as big filled with fans from two countries.
The first game, USA vs. Japan, started off rather shaky for Team USA. Jake Peavy of the Padres started and was taken deep on the second pitch of the game by Seattle's Ichiro for Japan. Japan got two more runs in the second and had a 3-0 lead after 2 innings. Peavy eventually settled down and kept his team in the game until Atlanta's Chipper Jones went deep. later, the Cubs' Derrick Lee hit a bomb to dead center for a 2-run shot, and the game was tied. Then it got interesting. IN the 8th inning, Japan worked the bases loaded against Minnesota's Joe Nathan and with one out, was looking to regain the lead. A Japanese hitter hit a fly ball to left for the second out. The runner at third tagged up and scored what was supposed to be the go-ahead run for Japan. As always, the defensive team threw the ball to third to protest the runner leaving early but one of the umpires called him safe, meaning the run was good. But USA manager Buck Martinez protested it, and the umpires got together and the home plate umpire overturned the other umpire's call, and called the runner out, thus nullifying Japan's go-ahead run. Japan was livid, in fact, more shocked by what just happened. Team USA came off the field to hit, but the runners on base for Japanese remained out on the bases still confused. A long discussion between the umpires and the Japanese manager, Japanese great Sadahuro Oh, ensued, but the umpires had made their call. Then in the 9th inning with the game still tied 3-3, Alex Rodriguez got a game-winning, walk-off, bases-loaded single to win the game for Team USA.
The second game, a mere 3.5 hours after the first game ended, featured Mexico and Korea. This game was less controversial as the first game, but it was still a very good, close game. Korea took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a 2-run home run by Seong Yeop Lee. The Dodgers' Jae Seo, pitching for Korea, pitched brilliantly for 5 innings, allowing just 1 run (a homerun by Luis A. Garcia) and two hits (Vinny Castilla of the Padres had the other). Mexico had a chance to tie the game several times, including in the 9th inning when they left the tying run at 3rd base against Korean closer Chan Ho Park of the Padres. Korea, 4-0 in the tournament, won the game 2-1.
The atmosphere at both games was quite amazing. I must admit though, the Mexicans really impressed me with their enthusiasm and energy. Aside from the small patches of Koreans throughout the stadium, the Mexicans packed Angel Stadium and were out in full force donning their country's red, white and green. Even the small patches of Koreans were very load and enthused. It was more like a World Series game. The atmosphere of that game reminded me a lot of Game 3 of the 2004 NLDS between the Dodgers and Cards at Dodger Stadium when Jose Lima pitched the game of his life. And while the stadium had about 10,000 empty seats for the first game, the Americans and Japanese were very much into the game, but in a different way than the Mexicans and Koreans. The American and Japanese fans seemed to take in the game with a little more seriousness, knowing they're both very good teams and should win their games. The Meixcans and Koreans were more overjoyed and just happy to be a part of the whole thing. Two very different atmospheres but still one that I was glad to be a part of.
