OKINAWA, Japan – Team USA beat Japan, 2-0, in the World Championship Final at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup on Sunday afternoon at Okinawa Cellular Stadium.
The United States now owns 11 world titles, tying for the most all-time in WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup history.
As it did all tournament long, Team USA got lights-out starting pitching in the World Championship Final. Coleman Borthwick spun a complete game shutout in the victory, the third of the tournament for the U.S. and the sixth overall shutout.
Borthwick was in command from the first pitch against the host nation. In front of a sold-out crowd of 16,693, the big right-hander allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out six. Two of the three knocks came in the first two innings, but both times, Borthwick picked up a big strikeout to strand the runners.
The pivotal moment of the World Championship Final came in the bottom of the third. With the game still scoreless and very much in the balance, Shintaro Sakamoto drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sac bunt as Japan began to build momentum. That was short-lived, however, as a hard line drive up the middle was snagged by U.S. shortstop Aiden Ruiz, who then dove and tagged second base to double up Sakamoto and end the inning.
The U.S. dugout and fans went into a frenzy after a video review confirmed the call, and the bats carried the momentum into the top of the fourth to break through against Japan starter Ryosuke Sueyoshi. Brody Schumaker and Anthony Murphy hit back-to-back one-out singles to put runners on the corners, and Jaden Jackson punched a slow roller to first for an RBI infield single to score the first run and give Team USA a 1-0 lead.
Armed with a lead and lots of momentum, Borthwick returned to the mound in the fourth and continued to dominate. He struck out the first two batters swinging, then after a fielding error prolonged the inning and put the tying run on base, Jacob Lombard’s sliding play at second base ended the frame.
Borthwick did not end up needing an insurance run, but his offense gave him one anyway in the top of the fifth. Walks drawn by Ruiz and CJ Sampson followed by a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Schumaker, who capped an eight-pitch plate appearance with a sac fly to left to bring home Ruiz and extend Team USA’s edge to 2-0 in the title game.
Japan had another baserunner reach in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out single by Sakamoto, bringing the top of the order to the plate. But Borthwick got leadoff hitter Hyuma Okabe to roll over to first base to end the inning, and it turned out to be the last time Japan got the tying run to the dish. Borthwick got three quick outs on nine pitches in the bottom of the sixth, putting the U.S. three outs away from a world title.
Borthwick then returned to the hill in the bottom of the seventh and fell behind Ryota Okumura, 3-0, before climbing back in the count and getting him to fly out to right before Hikaru Tamenaga popped out to Ruiz for the second out.
Yu Yokoyama then came to the plate with two outs and nobody on, and on a 1-2 fastball, the Japan catcher sent a fly ball to right field that landed in the glove of Schumaker to secure Team USA’s 11th world championship.
The shutout win was a fitting conclusion to the United States’ gold-medal run. It was the team’s sixth shutout of the tournament, matching the 2017 championship team for the most shutouts in a World Cup in program history.
Borthwick was named the Tournament MVP after not only his dominant performance in the title game, but the entire World Cup. On the mound, the Florida native went 1-0 with a spotless 0.00 ERA in 10 innings pitched. He struck out 12, walked just one, and allowed three hits in his two outings. Borthwick also produced at the plate as he hit .300 in 30 at-bats, driving in five runs and scoring six.
As a staff, the stars and stripes led the tournament in nearly every category while rewriting the program record book. The staff allowed just 25 hits, the fewest in 18U National Team history, and just two of them were for extras bases. The starting pitchers tossed 47.0 innings and allowed just one earned run, good for a sparkling 0.14 ERA. The team’s 0.57 overall ERA led the tournament and was the second lowest in program history, and the staff also led the tournament in WHIP (0.64) and BAA (.126).
Team USA had four representatives on the All-World Team. Will Brick was named the All-World catcher after batting .333 with three doubles and a triple while playing a key role in the United States’ strong pitching. All-World third baseman Grady Emerson started all nine games at the position, hitting .346 with a .949 OPS and reaching base in eight of the nine games. Gio Rojas earned All-World honors at pitcher after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, including a complete game shutout in a crucial Super Round win over Korea. Ruiz, the tournament hits leader with 11, was named All-World shortstop thanks to his .379 average and strong defense.
Overall, the 18U National Team is now 11-6 in World Championship Finals. Team USA has won gold at six of the last eight WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cups and is 4-0 all-time against Japan in title games. In addition to tying Cuba for most all-time gold medals, the U.S. now has 28 World Cup medals, eight more than any other country.
