Shohei Ohtani ignited the rally in the ninth inning with a double, and Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run double that catapulted Japan to a 6-5 victory over Mexico on Monday night and to the final of the World Baseball Classic.
Japan will meet defending champions the United States in a championship game on Tuesday that pits Ohtani against Mike Trout, his teammate from the Los Angeles Angels and center fielder for the US team.
Ohtani went 2-for-4. He scored in the seventh inning when Masataka Yoshida tied the game with a three-run home run off reliever JoJo Romero.
