WBC 2026: Murakami Grand Slam Caps Japan's 9-0 Win Over Czechia; Samurai Japan Undefeated

Japan closed Pool C of the 2026 World Baseball Classic with a 9-0 win over Czechia on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at Tokyo Dome, finishing pool play 4-0 and advancing to the quarterfinals in Miami. The final score was misleading: for nearly eight innings the defending WBC champions could not push a run across against a Czechia team made up largely of amateur players with day jobs. Munetaka Murakami broke the game open with a grand slam in a nine-run eighth inning—the fifth grand slam of the 2026 Classic, already a single-tournament record—and Japan heads to Miami to face the Pool D runner-up (Dominican Republic or Venezuela) on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET (FOX). Czechia finished 0-4 and will need to requalify for the next World Baseball Classic.

Manager Hirokazu Ibata had given Shohei Ohtani the day off to rest and prepare as a starting pitcher for the upcoming season, so the lineup featured three Major Leaguers and the reigning NPB Central League MVP, Teruaki Sato. Even so, Czechia’s Ondřej Satoria—an electrical worker from Ostrava who had famously struck out Ohtani on three pitches in the 2023 WBC—baffled Japan for 4⅔ scoreless innings in his final start for the national team before he retires to focus on his family. Satoria’s fastball sits around 78 mph; he relied on a changeup he calls “the worker” and gave up six hits, struck out three, and allowed zero runs. “It was my last dance, and I can say I really didn’t expect it was going to be something like that,” Satoria said. “I’m really happy for this, that I kept Czech baseball in this game and for my family’s name.”

How the game unfolded

Hiroto Takahashi—who trains with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the offseason and struck out Mike Trout and Paul Goldschmidt in the 2023 championship game—made his first start of the 2026 WBC for Japan. Though he’s expected to pitch in relief in the next round, Takahashi said afterward: “Being a starting pitcher at WBC was one of my goals. So how do I explain it? I am so grateful.” Japan’s offense, however, was silent. Michal Kovala, a college student at Chipola College who throws in the mid-90s with a split-change, made several of Japan’s professional hitters look foolish and continued the zeroes. The game stayed 0-0 into the eighth.

Then the floodgates opened. Japan sent multiple batters to the plate in the eighth and Murakami capped the outburst with a massive grand slam to center field. It wasn’t his first big hit for Japan: his walk-off double against Mexico in 2023 sent Japan to the final. Ibata said: “I was expecting him to hit one, a good one, and he did it. After we go to the States and we have a couple days to adjust, I wish him more [success].” Ukyo Shuto added a three-run homer in the same inning, and Teruaki Sato scored on a double by Kenya Wakatsuki. The winning pitcher was Yumeto Kanemaru; Michael Kovala took the loss. Ibata summed it up: “We were in kind of a tight game, but the very last inning, our offense blew up, which is good.”

Czechia manager Pavel Chadim, a neurologist, had come to the pregame news conference wearing the bronze medal the team won at the 2025 European Baseball Championship—the first medal the country had ever won at that tournament. “I have this medal, because I want to show to the world that we are not baseball tourists,” Chadim said. “We are playing baseball like professionals.” After Tuesday’s game he announced that the Premier12 Qualifiers—and, if Czechia reaches it, the Premier12 itself—would be his last games as manager. “I believe that we have a bright future,” he said, pointing to young arms like Kovala. Japan’s focus now shifts to Miami and a run at a fourth World Baseball Classic title.

Pool C standings (final, March 10, 2026)

*Source: ESPN WBC standings.*

Names to watch for AthX

Japan features Munetaka Murakami (White Sox, two-year $34M deal), Seiya Suzuki (Cubs), Masataka Yoshida, Hiroto Takahashi, and Teruaki Sato (NPB Central League MVP). Czechia had Ondřej Satoria (final national-team start) and Michal Kovala (Chipola College, mid-90s arm). WBC performance does not affect dynamic pricing—AthX prices are driven by MLB performance—but a strong tournament can boost narrative and demand before Opening Day. Murakami’s grand slam and Japan’s unbeaten run are the kind of storylines that sharpen interest in these names as the regular season approaches.

What It Means for AthX

WBC stats don’t count in dynamic pricing; AthX share prices are based on MLB playing time and results. Still, WBC results can shape narrative and demand for players on both rosters. Japan’s run to the quarterfinals and Murakami’s power display keep Samurai Japan stars in the spotlight; use the WBC as a lead-in to see who’s in form, then browse the marketplace to see how MLB and NPB-linked players are valued on AthX.

*Sources: MLB.com – Czechia gives Japan a ride, but reigning champs slam door to go undefeated; ESPN – Murakami’s grand slam leads Japan to 9-0 win over Czechia at WBC; ESPN WBC standings. Fact-checked March 10, 2026.*