Japan uses series against South Korea to prep for World Baseball Classic title defense

Samurai Japan’s two-game series against South Korea over the weekend was less about wins and losses and more about gathering valuable information ahead of next spring’s defense of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) title.​Japan rallied past its rival in an 11-4 rout in Game 1 at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night and was one out away from a sweep in Game 2 on Sunday before South Korea hit a game-tying homer in a contest that ended 7-7.The main takeaway for Japan was the chance to play with the pitch clock and PitchCom — neither of which is used in NPB — in an environment similar to what awaits at the Big Egg in March.