Cuba 001 000 320 6 11 3 Japan 100 150 22X 11 14 1
Japan out-lasted Cuba 11-6 in the first first-round game of the Tokyo Dome group at the 2017 World Baseball Classic on Tuesday. A RBI double by Tetsuto Yamada in the bottom of the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie. One frame later a RBI double by Hayato Sakamoto and a three-run home run by Nobuhiro Matsuda highlighted a five-run rally for Samurai Japan, which turned the contest into a 7-1 game.
Cuba was able to get on the board, but it was too little too late. Alfredo Despaigne homered in the seventh. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo went deep for Japan. Ayumu Ishikawa conceded two hits, a run and a walk in four innings for the win. Yoanni Yera surrendered three hits, three runs and two base on balls in three-plus innings to take the loss.