The fans waited as Nobuhiro Matsuda rounded the bases and exchanged high-fives with his teammates. They knew what was coming, and when Matsuda pumped his fist and let out a guttural yell, as is his custom after home runs, the Japanese fans packed in Tokyo Dome exploded with enough force to knock the roof off the Big Egg.
Matsuda hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo added a two-run shot in the seventh, and the Japanese put up enough runs to overcome a leaky bullpen and get their 2017 World Baseball Classic campaign off to a roaring start with an 11-6 victory over Cuba on Tuesday night.
"It was a see-saw game, and they could've caught up to us," said Norichika Aoki, the lone MLB player on Japan's roster. "It's great that we ended up protecting our lead. It was really a good game."