TOKYO (AFP): Shohei Ohtani hit his second home run of the World Baseball Classic as defending champions Japan edged South Korea 8-6 in a nail-biter in Tokyo on Saturday.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani smashed the ball into the Tokyo Dome stands for the second game running but Japan were pushed to the limit by the tenacious Koreans.
Seiya Suzuki also hit two home runs and Masataka Yoshida bagged another for Japan, who made it two wins out of two in Pool C.
South Korea suffered their first loss, after starting their campaign with a win over the Czech Republic.
Japan cruised to a 13-0 win over Taiwan in their opening game but they faced a much tougher test against South Korea.
The Koreans jumped into a three-run lead in the first inning to stun the defending champions.
Japan hit back in the bottom of the first inning when Ohtani hit a single and Suzuki drove in a two-run home run to cut the deficit.
Ohtani then tied it up when he sent a mammoth shot into the stands in the third inning.
Japan went in front with two more solo home runs in the same inning from Yoshida and Suzuki.
Just when Japan looked like running away with the game, South Korea hauled them back as Park Dong-won hit a two-run home run to tie the game.
Japan edged ahead in the seventh inning when Korean reliever Kim Young-kyu got himself into trouble and Yoshida took advantage.
The Koreans were not finished and they pulled one run back but Japan had done enough to escape with the win.
In the other game in Pool C, Taiwan routed the Czech Republic 14-0 to pick up their first win of the tournament. -- AFP
