Japanese batters destroy Hataw, 7-0

The Philippine national baseball team missed out on a spot in the Super Round of the 20th Asian Games after absorbing a 0-7 loss to host Japan on Wednesday at the Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium.

Hataw Pilipinas finished Group A with a 1-2 win-loss record and was relegated to the placement round after also losing to China, 8-15, last Tuesday.

The Philippines has yet to crack the top four or win a medal since baseball was introduced to the Asian Games in 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan.

After a scoreless opening inning, Japan took control in the second when Yano Yukiya hit a home run that also brought home Yamada Kenta for a 2-0 lead.

Aizawa Ryosuke, Mizutani Shohei and Kumada Toyo added three more runs in the third inning to stretch Japan’s advantage to 5-0.

Soeda Manami then launched another home run in the sixth, bringing home Arima Ryo to complete Japan’s scoring.

Hataw Pilipinas will take a one-day break before returning to action Friday for the placement round.

The Philippines will face Palestine, Thailand and Hong Kong as it tries to match its fifth-place finish in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.