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TOKYO – Rich Hill will take the mound for Team USA as it begins Super Round play at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 presented by RAXUS on Thursday, taking on Japan. First pitch from the Tokyo Dome is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local/5:00 a.m. ET.

PITCHING MATCHUP

LHP Rich Hill (USA) vs. RHP Hiroto Takahaski (JPN)

U.S. starting pitcher Rich Hill

SUPER ROUND STANDINGS

Team USA (0-0)
Chinese Taipei (0-0)
Japan (0-0)
Venezuela (0-0)

HISTORY AGAINST JAPAN

Team USA and Japan have met on 18 different occasions, with Team USA owning a 10-8 all-time record in the series. The two sides first played one another at the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, a 4-0 win for the United States. The stars and stripes are 1-1 against Japan at the Premier12, dropping their first meeting in 2015 and winning the most recent matchup in 2019. Japan has emerged victorious in each of the last three meetings between the two nations, with the last two coming in gold medal games; Japan won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games before winning the 2023 World Baseball Classic title.

LAST TIME OUT

The U.S. secured its spot in the Premier12 Super Round with a 12-2, run-rule victory over Mexico on Thursday night. After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Team USA scored two runs over each of the next three innings before a five-run explosion put the game away. Termarr Johnson put Team USA in front with a two-run blast in the top of the second before an opposite-field shot by Justin Crawford extended the lead to 3-1. Chris Okey and Chandler Simpson added RBI singles before Ryan Ward hit homers in the fifth and sixth innings en route to the run-rule win. On the mound, Rich Hill turned in 3.1 innings of solid work, yielding just one unearned run. Antonio Menendez earned the win with 1.2 innings of crucial relief before handing the ball to Anthony Gose and Dan Altavilla, who got the final six outs.

WARD’S RECORD-SETTING START

Ryan Ward has already set the record for most home runs in a single Premier12 tournament by a Team USA hitter, cranking four blasts in group play. Ward homered in each of the United States’ wins in the opening round; he hit a solo shot against the Netherlands, a three-run blast against Panama, and two longballs against Mexico. Ward surpasses Jo Adell and Brent Rooker in the Team USA Premier12 record books.

Ryan Ward homered twice against Mexico last Thursday

1-2 PUNCH

Team USA’s leadoff man Chandler Simpson and two-hole hitter Matt Shaw are tied for the tournament lead in hits with 11 each. Simpson concluded Group A play on a tear, going 4-for-5 against Panama and 3-for-4 in the Super Round-clinching victory over Mexico. Seven of Shaw’s 11 knocks came in the first two games against Puerto Rico and the Netherlands; he went 3-for-3 against Puerto Rico before a 4-for-5 night against the Netherlands which included a Premier12 record-setting seven RBIs.

EVERYBODY HITS

The U.S. has a team batting average of .317 through the first five games of the Premier12, which is the highest of the four remaining teams. Ten players on the stars and stripes’ roster have collected at least one hit. The team is on pace to have its highest Premier12 batting average in the tournament’s history, surpassing its .259 mark in 2019.

LEADING THE LEADERBOARD

Team USA has a player atop the Premier12 leaderboard in six of the 13 batting categories. Matt Shaw’s .579 average and 12 RBIs are the best in the tournament while his 11 hits are tied with Chandler Simpson for the most, Ryan Ward’s four homers lead all players, and Simpson has swiped a tourney-most six bases.

Chandler Simpson has stolen a tournament-most six bases

REACHING ON AN EVERYDAY BASES

Team USA leads the remaining teams in the Premier12 with 90 total bases, the second-most in the entire tournament behind the Netherlands. The United States is the only remaining country with five players who have double-digit total bases. Led by Matt Shaw’s 20, the team also has gotten strong production from Ryan Ward (17), Justin Crawford (12), Chandler Simpson (12), and Luke Ritter (10).

PATTON RETURNS TO JAPAN

U.S. reliever Spencer Patton makes his return to playing baseball in Japan for the Premier12 Super Round. Patton pitched for four seasons as a member of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars bullpen, posting a 12-9 record with a 3.68 ERA in 219 games pitched. Team USA pitcher Casey Lawrence also spent time pitching in Japan, making 22 appearances across two levels with the Hiroshima Carp in 2019.

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Six players on Team USA’s roster have played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game, including five players who competed in the event in 2024: Drake Baldwin, Justin Crawford, Termarr Johnson, Matt Shaw, and Chandler Simpson. Crawford also earned a spot in the 2023 iteration of the Futures Game, while Willie MacIver played in the event in 2019.

TOP SPECTS

The U.S. roster features four players who rank in the MLB Pipeline Top 100, including two players who are the top-ranked prospect for their respective Club. Carson Williams ranks as the fourth-best prospect in baseball and atop Tampa Bay’s Top 30 Prospects, while Matt Shaw leads the way for the Cubs and is the 22nd-ranked prospect in the sport. Additionally, Justin Crawford sits at No. 53 and Termarr Johnson ranks No. 75 in the Top 100.

BIG LEAGUERS

The U.S. roster features nine players with MLB playing experience, combining for 57 big-league seasons. Rich Hill leads the way with 20 MLB seasons under his belt, while Dan Altavilla, Anthony Gose, Spencer Patton, and Touki Toussaint bring at least five seasons of big-league time to the roster. Zac Grotz, Casey Lawrence, Chris Okey, and Cam Vieaux have also had stints in the major leagues.

MVPs!

Justin Crawford and Matt Shaw have each earned a Most Valuable Player honor in the past two seasons. In 2023, Crawford was named the Florida State League MVP after hitting .344 with 16 doubles, 60 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases for the Clearwater Threshers (A). Shaw nabbed Southern League MVP honors in 2024 following a season in which he smacked 14 homers and drove in 50 runs while batting .279 over 86 games with the AA Tennessee Smokies.

FATHERS AND SONS

Thirteen years after Rich Hill was teammates with Carl Crawford on the Boston Red Sox, Hill now teams up with Carl’s son, Justin, on the 2024 Premier12 roster. Hill and Carl were also teammates on the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers.