TOKYO, Shohei Ohtani pitched four shutout innings and knocked in two runs at the plate, as Japan cruised past China 8-1 to begin its World Baseball Classic (WBC) journey on home soil Thursday.

Ohtani, the two-way sensation for the Los Angeles Angels, held China to one hit and struck out five at Tokyo Dome, before letting three relievers take care of the rest. At the plate, Ohtani went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two walks from No. 3 spot.

Japan, world No. 1 and two-time WBC champion, will next take on South Korea at 7 p.m. Friday at the dome.

South Korea is reeling from an 8-7 loss to the underdog Australia from earlier Thursday.

The Pool B also includes the Czech Republic, who will play its first game against China at noon Friday.

The top two countries following round-robin action will reach the quarterfinals. Japan is considered a strong favorite to win Pool B, and South Korea and Australia were expected to battle for the second seed.

With Friday's loss, South Korea must defeat Japan on Friday and get help from other teams just to have a shot at making the quarterfinals.

Japan scored its first run with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning, though it couldn't cash in after the bases remained loaded with nobody out.

Ohtani's two-run double in the fourth put Japan ahead to 3-0, before China got a run back in the sixth thanks to Liang Pei's solo shot.

Japan finally got some breathing room in the seventh with Shugo Maki's solo home run. The home team then tacked on four runs while batting around in the eighth inning to round out the scoring.

Japanese pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts, while China issued 16 walks in a game that dragged on for three hours and 41 minutes.

Source: Yonhap News Agency