Shohei Ohtani hits a go-ahead grand slam. [EPA=Yonhap News]

The Japanese baseball team, led by Shohei Ohtani, kicked off their 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) campaign with a decisive victory.

Japan secured a 13-0 victory by mercy rule in the seventh inning against Taiwan at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on the 6th, in their opening game of the 2026 WBC Pool C round.

In this tournament, a mercy rule is declared if a game ends with a 15-run difference after five innings or a 10-run difference after seven innings.

Japan, the reigning champions of the 2023 WBC, showcased their formidable offensive power from their first game, signaling a strong bid for the championship.

Furthermore, Japan, who had lost to Taiwan in the 2024 Premier12 final and ceded the championship, achieved a complete revenge with this victory.

Japan's relentless offense bombarded Taiwan's mound in the second inning.

With Taiwan's starter Jun Hao-chen struggling with control and the score tied at 0-0, Ohtani came to bat with the bases loaded.

Ohtani pulled an outside curveball from Jun Hao-chen deep to right field, clearing the fence.

Ohtani returns to home plate after hitting a home run. [AFP=Yonhap News]

It was the go-ahead grand slam.

Japan's ignited offense saw 15 batters come to the plate in the second inning alone.

Following Ohtani's grand slam, Masataka Yoshida hit a run-scoring double, Shugo Maki followed with a run-scoring single, Sosuke Genda added a two-run single, and Kenta Wakatsuki contributed another run-scoring single in quick succession.

The lineup then cycled back around, and Ohtani, in his second at-bat of the second inning, delivered a clean run-scoring single to make the score 10-0.

In the third inning, Kazuma Okamoto hit a run-scoring single and Genda added another two-run single, extending Japan's lead to 13-0.

Ohtani had a stellar performance, going 3-for-4 with 5 RBIs and 1 run scored.

Ohtani, who was just a triple shy of the first-ever WBC cycle (recording a single, double, triple, and home run in one game), lined out to the first baseman in his fourth at-bat in the fourth inning, leaving a sense of regret.

Japan's starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. [AP=Yonhap News]

Japan's starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed no hits through 2⅔ innings but issued three walks due to control issues.

Despite the walks, he struck out two batters and shut down Taiwan's lineup without allowing any runs.

Yamamoto, having thrown 53 pitches, will not be able to pitch again in the pool stage. He is expected to start if Japan advances to the quarterfinals.

Taiwan, which had suffered a 0-3 defeat to Australia on the 5th, was subjected to a historically lopsided loss against Japan, a game they desperately needed to win.

Taiwan, with zero runs scored and two losses in two games, will face the Czech Republic at noon on the 7th in their third game of the tournament.