Pool A (Tokyo): South Korea 2, Taiwan 0
Jae-Weong Seo started for South Korea and Chan Ho Park got the save with three innings of relief later. Seo went 3 2/3. The 65 pitches limit is really a pain in the ass. Sung Heon Hong and Jong Beom Lee each had an RBI for South Korea. I didn't see this game.
Pool A (Tokyo): Japan killing China (in progress)
It's the top of the eighth and the Japanese have just gone up 18-2 and they've batted around this inning. China had it tied 2-2 early, but then gave up back-to-back homers the next inning, including a three-run shot by Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Darnell Coles is doing color commentary on this game and he is really, really bad.
The Chinese just got out of the inning, so this is about over with the mercy rule coming into effect. China will have to score seven runs just to force a ninth inning.
I don't know how good the Japanese team is by watching this game. China's players are raw (they committed four errors) and young, and their pitchers are not good, to say the least. Plus they're managed by Jim Lefebvre, which probably doesn't help much. Coles is acting like Japan has a great team, but this is such a mismatch that I think that might be jumping the gun. They're slugging their way past a bunch of guys who throw 85.
I really like the lettering on China's jerseys. And I like that off-white glove the new Japanese outfielder is sporting.
Just to pick the teams I think will advance, for no reason really:
Pool A - Japan, Korea
Pool B - USA, Canada
Pool C - Puerto Rico, Cuba (I'd love to pick Panama, but the Cubans are actually a team)
Pool D - Dominican Republic, Venezuela (duh)