Defending champion Japan completed an unbeaten group stage at the World Baseball Classic, beating the Czech Republic 9-0 on Tuesday night behind a nine-run eighth inning capped by Munetaka Murakami’s grand slam.<\/p>\n
After outscoring opponents 39-9 in going 4-0, Japan advanced to a quarterfinal on Saturday in Miami against Venezuela or the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Defending champion Japan completed an unbeaten group stage at the World Baseball Classic, beating the Czech Republic 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