The Samurai Japan National Team completed a perfect run to win the Asia Professional Baseball Championship 2017, shutting out rival Korea, 7-0, before 30,498 fans Sunday night at the Tokyo Dome.

The Samurai pitching staff, led by starting/winning pitcher Kazuto Taguchi (Yomiuri Giants – NPB), limited a Korean National Team filled with young Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) stars to just three hits in the finale.

In his victory speech, new Samurai Japan manager Atsunori Inaba said his squad is targeting Olympic gold in 2020, when baseball makes its returns at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Korea won the gold medal in baseball the last time the sport was featured at the Olympics (2008 Beijing).

Source link: http://www.wbsc.org/news/japan-beats-rival-korea-in-final-to-win-first-ever-asia-professional-baseball-championship/