43rd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series Begins in Japan Tuesday
MATSUYAMA, JAPAN - The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team arrived Sunday to Japan for the 43rd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series. Team USA holds a 24-18 advantage in the series, although Japan has won 17 of 20 series in its home country and 15 straight series in Japan over the last 40 years.
Team USA has won six of its first nine games in 2019, including series wins over Cuba (4-1) and Chinese Taipei (2-1). The team practiced Saturday in Taiwan, traveled Sunday to Japan and plans to practice Monday in preparation for its biggest series of the summer.
The Collegiate National Team has had a balanced start, hitting .331 as a team for 6.8 runs per game with a 2.68 team ERA and .991 fielding percentage. Heston Kjerstad leads the hitters with a .542/.556/.792 slash line and nine pitchers have an ERA under 2.00.
All five games will be televised nationally in Japan. It is unknown whether a video feed will be available in the United States. Team USA will provide updates via @USABaseballCNT on Twitter and live stats via links on the Collegiate National Team's schedule page.
Notable Information
• Overall series: USA leads, 24-18
• Series in Japan: Japan leads, 17-3
• Team USA has lost 15 straight series in Japan dating back 40 years.
• Team USA lost its last series in Japan, 3-2, including a 5-4 loss in 10 innings in the deciding Game 5 on July 17, 2016 at Kusanagi Stadium
• All-Star series games: Collegiate National Team leads, 131-104-2
• Overall games: Collegiate National Team leads, 154-123-2
• The last four series (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018) have all finished 3-2. Japan won in 2013 and 2016 in Japan, while the Collegiate National Team won in 2017 and 2018 in the United States.
• Team USA has won two straight series vs. Japan, a 3-2 win in 2017 throughout the Northeast United States and a 3-2 win in 2018 in North Carolina and Georgia.
• The longest series winning streak in the series is five by Team USA from 1973-77 .
On Deck
• July 16 vs. Japan (5 a.m. ET; Matsuyama, Japan; Botchan Stadium)
• July 17 vs. Japan (5 a.m. ET; Imabari City, Japan; Imabari Municipal Baseball Stadium)
• July 18 vs. Japan (5 a.m. ET; Iwakuni, Japan; Kizuna Stadium)
• July 20 vs. Japan (5 a.m. ET; Kooriyama, Japan; Kaiseizan Stadium)
• July 21 vs. Japan (5 a.m. ET; Tokyo, Japan; Meiji Jingu Stadium)
