The World Baseball Classic will crown a champion in two days, and for the first time, a team other than Japan will be hoisting the trophy.
Alex Rios sent Atsushi Nomi's high, 122-kph change-up deep into the seats in left field for a two-run home run during the seventh inning, and Japan was left to rue a number of missed chances, as Puerto Rico ended the two-time defending WBC champions' reign with a 3-1 victory in front of a crowd of 33,683 on Sunday at AT&T Park.
"The opponent had a great team tonight," Japan manager Koji Yamamoto said. "Hitters were good, they were really aggressive, and the pitchers were especially good. So it was really hard to seize the opportunity. In that sense, you win or lose in any game, and today, our opponent was better."