The United States was the designated road team in the World Baseball Classic semifinal game played Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, which was about right. The primary soundtrack to the 2-1 victory by the U. S. over Japan was provided by a little orchestra stationed…
The United States was the designated road team in the World Baseball Classic semifinal game played Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, which was about right.
The primary soundtrack to the 2-1 victory by the U. S. over Japan was provided by a little orchestra stationed at the top of the left-field pavilion.
The nine-man band was armed with a drum, eight trumpets and a giant Japanese flag. The ensemble made its presence heard throughout the stadium in the bottom of every inning, loud and clear, leading individualized, horn-driven cheers for every hitter in the Samurai Japan lineup.
More than any other sport, baseball continues to move the people of Japan — in the case of this small-but-loud cheering section, literally. The group traveled from Japan specifically for this tournament.
“The team is our pride,” group leader Yoshihide Kubo said in Japanese.
The sport shouldn’t take this level of support for granted. In fact, the sport can’t take this level of support for granted.
Soccer is coming.
Some are calling for Major League Baseball to stop organizing the WBC, citing the lack of interest in the tournament in the United States. Rob Manfred has responded by saying he intends to continue backing the event, so long as he is commissioner.
Manfred views the tournament as a vehicle to increase baseball’s popularity globally.
The tournament’s real purpose might be something more humble: To prevent soccer from encroaching further into baseball’s traditional strongholds.
Soccer is making significant gains in countries such as South Korea, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
