Samurai Japan small-balled its way to a 5-3 win over the MLB All-Stars in Tuesday's Game 4 of the Japan All-Star Series, dampening Kenta Maeda's return to his former home park.
For the second time in the six-game series, Samurai Japan overcame a two-run ninth-inning deficit. Japan had won Friday's Game 1 in dramatic fashion on Yuki Yanagita's sayonara home run, but this win resulted from the purest expression of Japan's game.
Samurai Japan leveraged two walks, two singles, two sacrifices, two stolen bases a wild pitch and an RBI groundout into a four-run ninth inning.