WBC odds - Pitching matchup favors Korea over Japan in championship

In the World Baseball Classic odds, it seems all too fitting that the tournament’s greatest rivalry will culminate in the championship game. The defending champion Japanese have rewarded those who remained faithful to them at the sportsbook by battling their way to the title game, albeit not without showing flaws. Meanwhile, Korea, which entered the tournament as a +1500 underdog, has been the biggest surprise in WBC betting.

Sports betting - Japan vs Korea odds – Monday, March 23, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. ET

• Teams have split their matchups 2-2 in this year’s tournament
• Japan continues to win with pitching and solid fundamentals
• Korean pitcher Jung Keun Bong has stymied Japan so far

For such great rivals, Japan and Korea have achieved their success differently in the 2009 WBC odds. As expected, Japan has ridden its talent in the tournament. Major-leaguers Ichiro and Akinori Iwamura have  continued to drive in runs and get on base using their trademark swings that have them running out of the box on contact. More importantly, co-aces Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish have been dominant. They were crucial factors in Japan’s online betting triumph over the U.S. yesterday, with Dice-K improving to 3-0 in the 2009 WBC odds and 6-0 all time in the World Baseball Classic odds while Darvish closed out the victory.

While it certainly lacks household names, Korea has undoubtedly been the powerhouse of the tournament, leading the WBC odds in total runs scored with 50 thanks to a balanced, no-name attack.  A major driving force of the suddenly strong Korean offense has been Cleveland Indians outfielder Shin Choo-Choo, the lone major leaguer on the roster, who  cranked a three-run homer off Carlos Silva in Korea’s 10-2 semifinal victory over Venezuela. The X-factor in the WBC final line is probably starting pitcher Jung Keun Bong, who has been absolutely unhittable in the tournament; he sports a 2-0 record and 0.66 ERA in 13 2/3 innings in the tournament.

T.J.’S PICK: The key in the Japan vs Korea odds is the pitching matchup. While Japan would make for the better sportsbook pick on most days, the final matchup definitely favors Korea. The Koreans send Bong to the hill, and he has owned Japan’s hitters in this tournament with a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings against them. Since Matsuzaka started yesterday’s game and Darvish finished it, neither ace is available to start the championship game. Japan instead has to rely on Hisashi Iwakuma against the top offensive team in the WBC odds.

It’s tough to bet against the defending champs at the sportsbook, but the numbers favor Korea. Bet on Team Korea to pull off the major upset and win the World Baseball Classic title game.

WBC betting is over, but the baseball season is just beginning. Visit the Betting Edge at betonline.com in the coming weeks for team previews and MLB betting analysis.

T.J. Kendrick is the biggest baseball nut and a brilliant MLB handicapper. His love of the game borders on obsession, and he takes every chance he gets to make excellent predictions, frequently contributing to industry handicapping sites as well as betonline.com. Thoughts or questions?