The fans at a sold-out Tokyo Dome were getting restless as Sho Nakata jogged out to take his position in left field for the bottom of the 10th inning.

Finally, just a few strides past the mound, Nakata gave the crowd a big fist bump and a capacity crowd exploded in unison.

Nakata drove in the tie-breaking run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and Japan inched closer to a spot in the final round of the World Baseball Classic with a 4-3 win over Taiwan on Friday at Tokyo Dome.