Defending champion Japan became the first nation to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the World Baseball Classic, then rallied on Masataka Yoshida's two-run homer in the seventh inning to beat Australia 4-3 at Tokyo Dome and assure first place in its first-round group.

Australia has opened the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo by beating Taiwan 3-0 on Robbie Perkins' two-run homer in the fifth inning and Travis Bazzana’s homer in the seventh at the Tokyo Dome.