Shohei Otani silenced the powerful South Korea lineup and benefited from some timely hitting by his teammates, as the Japan national team began its quest for the championship in the inaugural Premier 12 with a 5-0 win at Sapporo Dome on Sunday night.
Samurai Japan took an early lead thanks to a little luck in the second inning. With runners on second and first and no outs, Ryosuke Hirata hit a grounder to third, but it grazed the bag and bounced past third baseman Hur Kyoung-min to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Japan added another on a Hayato Sakamoto sacrifice fly in the same inning.
Hirata made his own luck later, giving Japan a boost with another RBI hit in the fifth. The Chunichi Dragons slugger finished with two RBIs.