Atsunori Inaba knows a thing or two about the highs and lows of international competition.
In 2008 Inaba represented Japan in the Beijing Olympics, where the Japanese, who, had harbored serious thoughts of gold, were beaten by a group of Triple-A players from the U.S. in their final game and left to stew in fourth place. Inaba then suited up for Japan at the World Baseball Classic in 2009, winning the title with what may have been the greatest collection of talent ever in Japanese baseball. Inaba also played in 2013 WBC, where he helped an all-NPB based team reach the semifinals.
So of course it was the level-headed, affable Inaba who saw the big picture after Japan struggled against a team of European players in the first game of the Global Baseball Match 2015 on Tuesday, and actually lost in the finale the next day.