2009 World Baseball Classic - Japan, Korea

 There are plenty of rivalries that have developed from (or existed before) the World Baseball Classic competition. None quite a fierce however as when the Japanese and Koreans lock horns. South Korea would face Japan three times in 2006, winning the first two meetings but Japan would hang around each time before getting the last laugh in the semi-finals. The format for 2009 only added to the potential for these two countries to fight each other, and that's just what happened down to the bitter end.

To show just how intense things got for these two countries, I give you WBC MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka. If at 5 innings and 0 control you think his card is unworthy of such accolades, you'd be right, but understand that those stats are from his regular season after the WBC ended, where he revealed he pitched through injury. The Red Sox weren't thrilled, but Japan thought it was worth it.

The Koreans and Japan were in the same pool to start the 2009 tournament, but first Korea had to knock off Taiwan 9-0 while Japan pitched their own shutout over China 4-0. With the warmups out of the way, the real fight could begin where Japan embarrassed Korea 14-2 in 7 mercy rule innings. Korea might have been in trouble, but meeting them in the losers bracket was China, who they only needed 7 innings to mercy rule 14-0. Korea got revenge in the round 1 finale with a 1-0 score to win pool A.

Round 2 kicked off with both teams taking care of business, as Korea handled Mexico 8-2 and Japan beat Cuba 6-0 in their rematch of the last tournaments finals. The script was flipped at this point, where Korea beat Japan next 4-1 to qualify for the final bracket, then Japan (after beating Cuba again 5-0) won the pool with a 6-2 victory in the finale.

This time, the two teams wouldn't have to face one another in the semi-finals, and once again they took care of business as Korea dispatched Venezuela 10-2 and Japan bounced the United States 9-4 to set up the finals matchup with the teams already splitting the first 4 games.

Japan struck early in the finals with a run, but Shin-Soo Choo tied it all up with a homer. Japan would tack on a couple runs late, but Korea kept it close, and with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th they managed to tie the game off Yu Darvish (still a few seasons away from coming to MLB), sending the game into extras.

In the 10th, Ichiro Suzuki came up with 2 on and 2 out, and battled through a 2 strike count to manage a 2 run single, providing the 5-3 score that Japan defended in the bottom of the inning to cap off their 2nd straight WBC title.

The lone MLB player for Korea, Choo proved his 9th inning heroics weren't a fluke with a solid all around card.

Fukudome is good for the 10 on-base, but that chart leaves much to be desired.

Keep Iwamura far away from the heart of your lineup. 

Kenji Johjma brings a good chart if you're willing to bet on his 7 on-base.

If you think Suzuki's card is a bit lacking compared to previous iterations, just know that just like Matsuzaka, he took this back and forth with Korea way too seriously. He started the season in Seattle on the DL because of stress ulcers he developed from the WBC. He still put together a solid season, unlike Matsuzaka.