Defending champion Japan rallied from 1-0 down to beat Australia 4-3 on Sunday behind a seventh-inning, two-run homer with two out by Masataka Yoshida in the World Baseball Classic.

Australia's attempt at a massive upset at the WBC came up short, thanks in large part to Masataka Yoshida's two-run home run in the seventh inning.

Masataka Yoshida belted a two-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning, helping defending champion Japan clinch Group C in pool play of the World Baseball Classic with a 4-3 victory over Australia on Sunday in Tokyo.

Japan is the defending WBC champion and has won its first two games, led by the best player in MLB and one of the top starting pitchers. It will be a heavy favorite in Sunday's game against Australia,

For nearly seven innings, one of the greatest upsets in international baseball history was in the making. With Japan having already qualified for the quarterfinals after Chinese Taipei defeated Korea earlier on Sunday,

Japan added two more runs in the eighth inning. Teruaki Sato drove in a run, and Seiya Suzuki forced in another with a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 4-1. Australia mount