Korean fans cheer for their team during batting practice before the evening game with Japan in the second round of the World Baseball Classic in Anaheim, California on Wednesday. Korea later won 2-1./AP Japan Smarts at Korean Blow to Its Pride in WBC Game Korea Starts WBC on a High, Beating Taiwan 2-0 Koreans Sweep Asian WBC Games Korean Baseball Aces Beat Mexico at WBC Korean Baseball Team Shames U.S. in WBC Triumph U.S. Press Laments WBC Thrashing by Korea All Mouth and No Trousers The Enigma at the Helm of Korea's WBC Team Blue Goblins Lead Cheers for Korean Baseball 'Classic' Korean Baseball Draws Frank Praise in U.S. Korea's Unbeaten WBC Run Ends in Crashing Defeat Korean Slugger's Bat Goes to MLB Hall of Fame

The two teams with Park Chan-ho and Shunsuke Watanabe as their aces were in head-to head competition, with perfect groups of pitchers and impregnable defense preventing any score until the seventh innings. One hit by Korea and four hits by Japan were all.

The moment of truth came in the eighth with Korea at bat. With one out, Kim Min-jae made it to base on a walk, then Lee Byung-kyu hit, placing runners at second and third. Koreans the world over had their fingers crossed when Lee Jong-beom, who is ranked fifth for batting average, was up. Team captain Lee flourished under the heavy responsibility and converted a fastball from Kyuji Fujikawa into a rocket that made it all the way to the left center-field wall and brought the two runners home. However, Lee himself was thrown out at third.

The Japanese team, which would not be assured of advancement to the semifinals if they lost to Korea, made desperate efforts to score in the bottom of the ninth. Japan’s first batter, Tsuyoshi Nishioka hit a homerun on Koo Dae-sung’s pitch in hot pursuit of Korea. However, Korea pushed closer when Oh Seung-hwan with a one-out situation retired two batters, sealing the 2-1 victory over Japan.

Japan's Tomoya Satozaki (left) walks off the field as Team Korea celebrates their 2-1 win over Japan on Wednesday in the second round of the World Baseball Classic in Anaheim, California on Wednesday./AP

The prospect of Japan’s own advancement to the semifinals depends on the result of the U.S.-Mexico match on Thursday. The Korean team will have its first semifinals match with either the U.S. or Japan on Sunday noon. In Pool 2, the Dominican Republic and Cuba captured tickets to the semifinals.

(englishnews@chosun.com )