Samurai Japan Stumble: Orix Buffaloes Hand Defending Champions a 4–3 Reality Check Before WBC Opener

For a team entering the World Baseball Classic as defending champions, the margin for complacency is zero. Yet Samurai Japan’s 4–3 exhibition loss to the Orix Buffaloes at Kyocera Dome Osaka exposed cracks that cannot be dismissed as mere “pre-tournament rust.” This was not a narrow defeat against an MLB All-Star roster. It was a […]