South Korea Upsets Japan, 3-2

TOKYO — South Korea upset Japan, 3-2, Sunday to win Group A in the first round of the World Baseball Classic, with Lee Seung-yeop hitting a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning of a game that mattered little because both nations were assured of advancement.

Dae-Sung Koo pitched two scoreless innings of relief to get the victory for South Korea, which overcame a two-run deficit, and Chan Ho Park of the San Diego Padres retired the side in the ninth for the save.

South Korea (3-0) and Japan (2-1) will travel to Arizona for exhibitions against major league teams, then go to Anaheim for the second round, to be played March 12-16.