SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — First Kaito Suzuki lifted one fist high over his head, then both fists, as he stood at first base and soaked in the cheers from his teammates in the dugout.
Japan is headed back to the Little League World Series championship game.
Starter Yoshiki Suzuki struck out seven and Kaito Suzuki scored two runs and had an RBI single to lift the mashers from Hamamatsu City past Mexicali, Mexico, 5-2 on Saturday to win the Little League international championship.
Japan will play either Montana or California for the tournament title. Montana and California are scheduled to play later Saturday afternoon for the United States championship.
“I know it’s going to be my last Little League in my career and I want to have a smile on my face when we go back to Japan,” Yoshiki Suzuki said through interpreter Kotaro Omori.
He held Mexico to seven hits and made a defensive play at the plate to help thwart a Mexico rally.
Mexico trailed 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth before rallying to within three runs on Jorge Jacobo’s RBI triple.
But Jacobo was thrown out on the next play after Suzuki covered home on a weak grounder up the first-base line. Suzuki blocked the plate with his left foot, then took the backhanded throw from catcher Taiga Iwamoto and tagged Jacobo for the out.
Iwamoto, 12, was so impressed he smiled and did a double-take looking back at Suzuki before putting his catcher’s mask back on.
Japan was pretty good with the bats, too, hammering out 10 hits and never trailing after taking a 2-0 lead in the third. Japan also hustled around the base paths to take advantage of Mexico’s three miscues.
“Japan is a very smart, very intelligent team and they will jump on any mistakes that you make,” Mexico manager Francisco Picos McDonough said through translator Sergio Guzman. “We made some mistakes and you see the result.”
Mexico put a runner on second in the sixth with two outs, but Suzuki finished off his complete game with a strikeout before getting pats on the back from his teammates as they lined up to shake hands with Mexico at the plate.
Japan never trailed after taking a 2-0 lead in the third. Kaito Suzuki scored in the inning as a pinch-runner, then drove home a run and scored again in the fourth to give Japan a 4-0 lead.
“The substitutes have surprised me, I didn’t expect them to play this well,” said manager Akihiro Suzuki, who is not related to either Yoshiki or Kaito. “I just want all my kids to play their best and have fun, so I’m very happy for them.”