Shohei Ohtani homered for the second straight day and Seiya Suzuki went deep twice and defending champion Japan beat South Korea 8-6 on Saturday night at Tokyo and improved to 2-0 at the World Baseball Classic.
Suzuki drove in four runs and Masataka Yoshida homered and had three RBIs for the Samurai Warriors, who overcame a 3-0, first-inning deficit.
A day after hitting a grand slam in a 13-0 win over Taiwan, Ohtani hit a tying home run on a hanging curve from Young Pyo Ko in the third.
Suzuki hit a two-run homer in the second. Two batters after Ohtani's drive, Suzuki chased Ko by homering for a 4-3 lead. Yoshida homered on reliever Byeong Hyeon Jo's second pitch.
Hyeseong Kim's two-run homer against Hiromi Ito tied the score in the fourth for South Korea (1-1).
Suzuki put Japan ahead for good at 6-5 when he drew a bases-loaded walk from Young Kyu Kim in a three-run seventh that included Yoshida's two-run single.
Ju Won Kim cut South Korea's deficit with an RBI single off Yuki Matsumoto in the eighth before Hyeseong Kim stranded the bases loaded when he struck out against Yuki Matsumoto.
Winner Atsuki Taneichi struck out the side in the seventh, and Taisei Ota got three straight outs on seven pitches for the save.
Japan and Australia are 2-0 in Group C and meet Sunday as the favorites to advance to the quarterfinals.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was at the game, a day after Timothée Chalamet and pop singer Bad Bunny attended.
Albies hits game-winning 3-run homer in 9th as Netherlands stuns Nicaragua 4-3
Ozzie Albies hit a game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Netherlands over Nicaragua.
The Netherlands began its two-out rally on Ceddanne Rafaela’s single against reliever Angel Obando. Xander Bogaerts doubled, advancing Rafaela to third before Albies hit Obando’s first pitch over the wall in right.
The Netherlands improved to 1-1 in Group D. Nicaragua dropped to 0-2.
Jeter Downs hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth to put Nicaragua ahead 3-1. He drove a sinker from Netherlands reliever Lars Huijer over the wall in left-center. Huijer threw two innings of relief for the win.
The Netherlands stranded 14 base runners and were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position before Albies’ homer.
Rafaela, Bogaerts and Druw Jones all had two hits for the Netherlands.
Nicaragua starter Erasmo Ramírez plunked Albies with the bases loaded in the third, giving the Netherlands a 1-0 lead. Ramirez allowed one run and five hits over five innings while Netherlands starter Jaitoine Kelly threw two scoreless innings.
Fairchild's grand slam powers Taiwan over Czechs 14-0
Stuart Fairchild, whose mother is from Taiwan, hit a second-inning grand slam off Jan Novak for a quick six-run lead.
Taiwan set a WBC record with seven steals and improved to 1-2 in a game cut to seven innings by a mercy rule. The slam was the third of the tournament, one shy of the WBC record.
The Czechs dropped to 0-3 in their second WBC and are 1-6 in two tournaments, with a win over China in 2023.
Taiwan went ahead in the first on a throwing error by catcher Martin Cervenka on a double steal, and and an RBI single Yu Chang, who had three hits and four RBIs.
Winner Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang struck out four in 2 2/3 innings. Novak took the loss, allowing six runs, five hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.
Naylor brothers’ defense, Cassie’s 2-run homer lead Canada over Colombia 8-2
A run-saving defensive play by brothers Josh and Bo Naylor boosted Canada in the first inning at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Owen Cassie hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the second off emergency starter Austin Bergner after Julio Teheran was scratched. A 35-year-old right-hander who last pitched in the major leagues in 2024, Teheran felt right shoulder impingement while warming up.
Canada won its opener while Colombia dropped to 0-2 in Group A.
Michael Arroyo led off the game with a single off Michael Soroka, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Reynaldo Rodriguez grounded to first baseman Josh Naylor, who threw to brother Bo at the plate for the tag.
That was one of four Colombia outs on the bases. Rodriguez and Jesus Marriaga were caught stealing by Bo Naylor and Daniel Vellojin was thrown out trying to reach second on a dropped fly ball in the ninth inning.
Arroyo cut Colombia’s deficit with an RBI single in the third off Soroka, who allowed four hits over three innings for the win. Abraham Toro restored a two-run lead with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom half from Emerson Martinez.
Josh Naylor had an run-scoring single in the seventh that drove in Denzel Clarke, a cousin, after Marriaga dropped Clarke’s fly to right for an error.
Harold Ramírez had an RBI double in the eighth. With two on and two outs, Gio Urshela swung and missed at three straight sliders from Eric Cerantola.
Toro had an RBI triple in a four-run bottom half and scored on Bo Naylor’s single.
Phillippe Aumont, who last pitched in the major leagues in 2015, struck out Tito Polo for the final out.
Nori homers twice, Canzone adds 4 RBIs as Italy blanks Brazil 8-0
Dante Nori hit two home runs and Dominic Canzone homered with four RBIs to help Italy to an 8-0 win over Brazil in Pool B play on Saturday in Houston.
The game was scoreless until the sixth inning when Astro Zach Dezenzo hit an RBI single with one out to put Italy on top. Jac Caglianone followed with a two-out double that scored another run but Dezenzo was tagged out at home on the play to end the inning.
Nori's first home run came with one out in the seventh to make it 3-0. There was one out with two outs when Canzone’s homer to right center field extended the lead to 6-0.
There was one out in the eighth when Nori went deep again on a solo shot to right center that made it 7-0. Canzone had an RBI double with two outs to leave Italy up 8-0.
Brazil managed just four singles to fall to 0-5 all-time in the tournament after losing to Japan, Cuba and China in 2013 in its only other WBC appearance. The team lost to the United States 15-5 in its WBC opener on Friday night.
Brazil starter Enzo Sawayama allowed two hits in four scoreless innings and Italy starter Sam Aldegheri allowed one hit and struck out eight in 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
Italy plays Great Britain on Sunday and Brazil faces Mexico on Sunday night.
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