With this victory, Japan secured first place in Group C. The defending champion Japan became the first nation to clinch a spot in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals, then rallied with a two-run home run from Masataka Yoshida in the seventh inning to defeat Australia 4-3 in Tokyo and secure top spot in its first-round group. Japan secured its passage when South Korea lost to Taiwan 5-4 in the tenth inning, also at the Tokyo Dome.
