Defending champion Japan overcame a 3-0 early deficit to beat South Korea 8-6 in Pool C play at Tokyo Dome on March 7, 2026, blasting four home runs—including two from Seiya Suzuki and one from Shohei Ohtani—before pulling ahead for good in the seventh. South Korea, after routing Czechia 11-4 earlier, suffered its first loss of the tournament.
South Korea jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with three straight singles off Japan starter Yusei Kikuchi, followed by Lee Jung-hoo's RBI single and Moon Bo-gyeong's two-run double to center. Japan answered immediately in the bottom half as Seiya Suzuki crushed a two-run homer to right off South Korea starter Ko Young-pyo, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
The third inning shifted momentum decisively. Shohei Ohtani tied it at 3-3 with a 408-foot solo homer to right-center, gesturing to his dugout to stay calm. He later said, "I was trying to send a message to the dugout, saying, ‘Hey, calm down, Let's go. The game is still tied.’” Suzuki followed with his second solo homer on the first pitch, putting Japan ahead 4-3 and chasing Ko. Masataka Yoshida then homered off reliever Jo Byeong-hyeon, extending the lead to 5-3. Japan's first four hits were all home runs.
South Korea tied it at 5-5 in the fourth on Kim Hye-seong's two-run homer off Hiromi Itoh, who struck out six in three innings despite the blast. The score stayed close until the seventh, when reliever Kim Young-kyu walked two with runners at the corners—pushing across the go-ahead run—and Yoshida added a two-run single for an 8-5 lead. (Some accounts note Suzuki drawing a walk to force in a run amid loaded bases.)
South Korea got one back in the eighth on Kim Ju-won's RBI single but stranded the bases loaded with two outs after Kim Hye-seong struck out looking. South Korea struck out 15 times total. Japan reliever Taisei Ota closed with a 1-2-3 ninth, highlighted by Ukyo Shuto's leaping catch against the center-field wall to rob Jahmai Jones.
Ohtani homered, scored three times, and praised Suzuki: “Probably the biggest moment was Seiya's first jack. That gave us our confidence back." Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata emphasized home runs as key to their strategy. South Korean manager Ryu Ji-hyun said, "We still have more games left to play and we will do our best," noting the unexpected four early homers. South Korea has not beaten Japan since the 2015 Premier12 semifinals.
Japan improved to 2-0, joining Australia atop Pool C, while South Korea fell to 1-1. Japan faces Australia next, and South Korea meets Chinese Taipei at noon Sunday with Ryu Hyun-jin starting. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals.
