Baseball may have been invented in the United States, but it's being perfected in Japan.
Over the years, as Major League Baseball teams spiraled into a dependence on hitting more home runs than their opponents, Japanese baseball stayed true to its roots by teaching the fundamentals of the game.
Placed side by side on the international stage at the World Baseball Classic, the power of the Western nations was no match for Japan's game of stellar pitching, solid defense, singles and smart base-running.