Shohei Ohtani pitches shutout, leads Japan to WBC semifinal

TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani pitched shutout ball into the fifth inning and sparked a four-run third with a bunt single, leading Japan over Italy 9-3 Thursday night and into its fifth straight World Baseball Classic semifinal.

Boston's Masataka Yoshida homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a grounder, giving him a tournament-leading 10 RBI. Kazuma Okamoto hit a three-run homer for Japan, which has outscored opponents 47-11 in five games.

Japan travels to Miami for a semifinal on Monday against Puerto Rico or Mexico. Cuba plays the other semifinal against the United States or Venezuela.

Pitching before an adoring crowd of 41,723 at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani threw his fastest pitch since he joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, striking out Vinnie Pasquantino on a 102 mph fastball in the second. That topped a 101.4 mph pitch that struck out Houston's Kyle Tucker last Sept. 10.

Ohtani (2-0) allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk and went 1 for 4 with a walk at the plate. He is hitting .438 (7 for 16) with a home run, three doubles and eight RBI along with a 2.08 ERA, 10 strikeouts and one walk on the mound. Ohtani would be available on four days' rest to pitch in a possible final on Tuesday — 4 1/2 days, counting the time difference.

Ohtani stretched his tournament scoreless streak to 8 2/3 innings before the fifth, when Dominic Fletcher hit a soft bases-loaded single into right with two outs on Ohtani's 71st and final pitch — nine short of the limit. Ohtani had hit Ben DeLuzio with a pitch with one out, allowed a single to David Fletcher, retired Sal Frelick on a flyout and hit Nicky Lopez with a pitch.

Hiromi Itoh relieved and retired Miles Mastrobuoni on a flyout as Yoshida slammed