Japan's two-way star Ohtani Shohei has blasted a home run to help his team cruise past Australia 7-1 in their last first-round game of the World Baseball Classic. Samurai Japan has advanced to the quarterfinals as the top finisher in Pool B.
Japan faced Australia at Tokyo Dome on Sunday. Ohtani came to bat in the first inning and belted a three-run moonshot that went over the right-field fence and hit an advertising board above the stands.
Japan's starting pitcher, Yamamoto Yoshinobu, kept the Australian batters at bay with a combination of breaking pitches and fastballs clocking over 150 kilometers per hour. He threw four scoreless innings, notching eight strikeouts and only allowing one hit.
Japan is aiming for its third World Baseball Classic title after winning the tournament in 2006 and 2009.
The global powerhouse wrapped up its Pool B campaign with four wins and no losses, booking a ticket to the second round for the fifth straight tournament since the WBC's inauguration in 2006.