Kenji Johjima used the first round of the World Baseball Classic to show that his aweful 2008 season with Seattle was just a fluke.
The Mariners catcher was 2-for-3 Monday for Japan in a 1-0 loss to South Korea. He is now 5-for-10 with a home run and 2 RBI in two games for Japan, which advances to the second round despite the loss.
Johjima's hot start comes after a miserable 2008 in which he hit .227, 60 points below his 2007 average.
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It was only a matter of time before Johjima's teammate Ichiro broke out of his slump. He is 4-for-9 in his last two games.
Jose Lopez has had perhaps the best first round of any Mariner playing in the WBC.
He is 6-for-7 with five doubles in two games for Venezuela, which must win an elimination game Tuesday to advance to round two. Lopez's six hits leads the tournament.
A pair of Mariner pitchers combined to shut out Italy in Venezula's first game. Felix Hernandez got the win, pitching four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. Carlos Silva started the game, allowing six hits in four scoreless innings.
Canadian pitcher Phillippe Aumont showed the world his potential Saturday against USA. The Mariners 2007 top draft pick worked out of a bases-loaded, no out jam in the seventh inning. He allowed no runs and struck out two batters with the help of his fastball, which reached 97 mph.
Reach Brady Henderson at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
