The 2009 World Baseball Classic ended a lot like the inaugural Classic in '06 as Japan was crowned the champ again and Daisuke Matsuzaka was named the most valuable player.
Dice-K won three games for Japan allowing 4 earned runs over 14 2/3 innings. He is now 6-0 with a 1.95 ERA overall in the two WBCs.
Despite the U.S. getting bounced in the semifinals, the final between Korea and Japan was a compelling, exciting game. Ichiro's two-run single in the 10th inning was the game-winning hit as both teams made outstanding plays and came through with big hits throughout the night and the tournament.
The U.S. was decimated by injuries and didn't have its best pitchers. The key losses of Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, who was leading the team in home runs before injuring his foot, were too much to overcome.
It was good to see the Red Sox players do well in the tournament, but now that it's over it's nice to have them back in camp getting ready for the season.
Even though Dice-K threw a lot of pitches and they were in much more stressful situations than would have been in Grapfruit League action, he should be fine for the season. And Youk and Dustin have returned from their injuries so it looks like the Sox came out of it relatively unscathed.
Two weeks to opening day!
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