Japan dumps South Korea, faces US in semis

SAN DIEGO – Defending champion Japan rallied for three runs in the eighth inning Thursday to beat South Korea, 6-2, and win Pool 1 of the World Baseball Classic.

Japan and South Korea had already clinched semifinal berths.

With the win, Japan faces the United States on Sunday in the semifinals at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. South Korea, held to six hits by seven Japanese pitchers, will play Pool 2 winner Venezuela in the first semifinal on Saturday.

Although the Japanese haven’t announced Daisuke Matsuzaka as the starter, it’s his turn in the rotation and he hasn’t pitched since throwing six brilliant innings in a 6-0 win against Cuba on Sunday. The Boston Red Sox ace has five wins from five appearances during two WBCs. He has two wins and no losses this year after going 3-0 in leading Japan to the inaugural WBC championship in 2006, when he was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

Jake Peavy, the San Diego Padres ace who won the 2007 National League Cy Young pitching award, is scheduled to start for the Americans, who reached the semis with a dramatic 6-5 win over Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

With the score tied at 2-2 in the eighth inning, Japanese manager Tatsunori Hara pinch-hit for his Nos. 4 and 5 hitters, a move that paid off with consecutive singles that keyed a three-run rally.

No. 3 hitter Norichika Aoki reached with a leadoff bunt single against Oh Seung-hwan (0-1) and Atsunori Inaba singled to right-center while pinch-hitting for Kenji Johjima of the Seattle Mariners, giving the Japanese runners on first and third with no outs.           (AP)