TOKYO,-- In a battle within a battle between major league teammates, Lars Nootbaar of Japan got the better of Tommy Edman of South Korea at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Friday.
The two close friends and teammates on the St. Louis Cardinals had long talked about competing for bragging rights ahead of the WBC showdown between their respective national teams, South Korea and Japan.
Nootbaar, the half-Japanese center fielder, went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored to help Japan's 13-4 victory in the Pool B contest at Tokyo Dome.
Nootbaar also made a highlight-worthy diving grab in the fifth inning to rob Kim Ha-seong of a base hit.
Edman, on the other hand, committed a throwing error in the second and was 0-for-4 with a strikeout at the plate.
Though they were both born in the United States, Edman and Nootbaar were allowed to represent the countries of their mothers' births thanks to the WBC's loose eligibility rules. This is their first WBC appearance.
Nootbaar's Japan has won its first two games, as expected, and should contend for the championship. South Korea, however, is now on the brink of elimination after dropping the first two contests.
His rare error notwithstanding, Edman, the 2021 National League Gold Glove winner at second base, has mostly come as advertised on defense. But from the leadoff spot, Edman has gone 1-for-8 in two games.
There was one other pair of major league teammates in this game, as the San Diego Padres' South Korean shortstop Kim Ha-seong stared down San Diego ace starting for Japan, Yu Darvish.
Kim went 0-for-2 but reached on an error against Darvish, who was charged with two earned runs on three hits in three so-so innings.
Source: Yonhap News Agency