The Tokyo Pool in the 2026 World Baseball Classic wrapped up with the expected powerhouse on top, as Samurai Japan finished a perfect 4-0 to claim first place, while Korea survived a three-way tiebreaker with Australia and Chinese Taipei to advance as the runner-up.
Japan’s path was not entirely smooth, however. After opening with a dominant 13-0 mercy-rule win over Chinese Taipei, the defending champions were tested in back-to-back games, falling behind against both Korea and Australia before rallying for 8-6 and 4-3 victories.
Japan then closed the pool with a 9-0 win over Czechia, resting several stars after already securing a quarterfinal berth. With Pool D now finalized, Japan will face Venezuela — the Miami Pool runner-up behind the Dominican Republic — in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 14, at loanDepot Park in what will be one of Japan’s biggest challenges ever in the WBC.
Japan 13, Chinese Taipei 0
Samurai Japan opened its 2026 World Baseball Classic title defense in emphatic fashion, routing Chinese Taipei 13-0 in seven innings at the Tokyo Dome.
Shohei Ohtani provided the signature moment of the night, crushing a bases-clearing grand slam in the second inning to ignite a 10-run outburst — a new WBC single-inning record.
Ohtani finished with multiple hits and five RBIs, while Japan piled on with contributions throughout the lineup.
On the mound, Yoshinobu Yamamoto started the game and worked 2 ⅔ hitless innings before leaving with the bases loaded in the third.
Shoma Fujihira came in and escaped the jam, and Hiroya Miyagi, Koki Kitayama, and Ryuhei Sotani handled the rest as they preserved the shutout.
Japan 8, Korea 6
In the marquee matchup of Pool C, Japan outslugged Korea 8-6. Korea struck early against Yusei Kikuchi and jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Seiya Suzuki quickly swung momentum back with a two-run homer in the first.
Japan’s power surge continued in the third when Ohtani, Suzuki, and Masataka Yoshida all homered, helping erase the deficit and push Japan in front.
Suzuki carried the offense star all night, finishing with two home runs and four RBIs.
Korea did not go away quietly, tying the game at five and repeatedly threatening late. But Japan’s bullpen delivered when it mattered most. Atsuki Taneichi struck out the side in the seventh, and Yuki Matsumoto escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by freezing Hyeseong Kim.
Taisei closed it out in the ninth, with Ukyo Shuto making a highlight-reel catch at the wall in center field to help secure the Samurai’s second win of the tournament.
Japan 4, Australia 3
Japan was pushed to the brink by Australia before rallying late for a 4-3 victory in front of another sold-out crowd — including Japan’s Imperial Family. Australia’s pitching staff kept Samurai Japan quiet deep into the game, and the Aussies grabbed a 1-0 lead in the sixth when Aaron Whitefield scored on a throwing error by catcher Kenya Wakatsuki.
Tomoyuki Sugano started for Japan with four scoreless innings, and Chihiro Sumida followed with a brilliant three-inning relief outing that included seven strikeouts to keep the game close.
The game flipped in the seventh when Australia failed to turn an inning-ending double play, opening the door for Yoshida to launch a two-run homer and give Japan its first lead. Japan added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on a Teruaki Sato pinch-hit RBI double and a Suzuki bases-loaded walk.
Australia made it tense in the ninth with solo homers from Alex Hall and Rixon Wingrove, but Taisei locked in to close it out as Japan improved to 3-0.
Japan 9, Czechia 0
Japan finished pool play with a deceptively lopsided 9-0 win over Czechia, though the game was scoreless until the eighth inning. With both teams already locked into their tournament fates, manager Hirokazu Ibata rested several stars, including Ohtani and Suzuki, and used the opportunity to rotate in players making their first starts of the tournament.
Hiroto Takahashi impressed in his outing, tossing 4 ⅔ scoreless innings with five strikeouts, while Czech electrician-pitcher Ondrej Satoria matched him pitch for pitch in the final appearance of his national team career.
The breakthrough finally came in the eighth, when Japan erupted for nine runs. A throwing error by right fielder William Escala opened the scoring, Shuto added a rare three-run homer, and Munetaka Murakami punctuated the inning with a towering grand slam to right.
Japan’s bullpen remained flawless as Miyagi, Yumeto Kanemaru, and Koki Kitayama combined for 3 ⅓ perfect innings with nine strikeouts, sending Japan into the quarterfinals undefeated.
Samurai Japan’s Full 30-man Roster:
DH Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
C Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers)
C Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes)
C Yuhei Nakamura (Tokyo Yakult Swallows)
1B Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox)
2B Shugo Maki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
3B Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers)
SS Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima Toyo Carp)
SS Sosuke Genda (Saitama Seibu Lions)
OF Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox)
OF Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs)
OF Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers)
OF Ukyo Shuto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
OF Kensuke Kondoh (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
UTL Taisei Makihara (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Los Angeles Dodgers)
RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (Free Agent)
RHP Hiromi Itoh (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)
RHP Koki Kitayama (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)
RHP Atsuki Taneichi (Chiba Lotte Marines)
RHP Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons)
RHP Yuki Matsumoto (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
RHP Taisei (Yomiuri Giants)
RHP Shoma Fujihira (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles)*
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (Los Angeles Angels)
LHP Hiroya Miyagi (Orix Buffaloes)
LHP Ryuhei Sotani (Orix Buffaloes)
LHP Chihiro Sumida (Saitama Seibu Lions)*
LHP Yumeto Kanemaru (Chunichi Dragons)*
*Injury Replacements
Note: Tatsuya Imai (Houston Astros) may be added from the designated pitcher pool for the knockout rounds.
