It was a long travel day for team Japan, which finally touched down in Prince George this afternoon.
The World Baseball Challenge participants were greeted by fans, organisers, mascots, and Tournament Chairman Rick Pattie.
“It’s a very exciting moment for me. It’s my first time greeting the Japanese team. I haven’t been in this position before so I’m really excited.”
Team Japan is made up of national all-stars, who play in a league equal to North American AA.
Now that they’ve landed, team Manager Takahiro Narita says its time to sleep, then focus on the tournament. He and the team are looking forward to playing in cooler temperatures (this week’s highs in Tokyo are in the low- to mid-30’s) and enjoying Canadian nature.
Play begins Friday evening with Japan taking on Canadian Sidearm Nation, and Pattie knows it won’t disappoint.
“In the past tournaments that (Japan has) been here, they’ve always been a strong competitor. They’ve given everybody a run for their money and I expect that again. We’ve brought in some top notch teams to give them the calibre of play that they deserve.”
Opening ceremonies at Citizen Field are Friday at 7 PM, shortly before first pitch at 7:30.
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