Another night, another thrilling win for Samurai Japan at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Pinch hitter Seiichi Uchikawa brought in the tiebreaking run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth, Tetsuto Yamada provided more breathing room with a two-run home run later in the frame, and the Japanese emerged from a back-and-forth battle against Cuba with a 8-5 victory on Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome.
The Japanese took a big step toward qualifying for the semifinals in the U.S. with the win.