Fresh off winning a gold medal in softball, Japan opened the baseball tournament with a 4-3 victory over the Dominican Republic at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The Dominican Republic appeared to be in firm control heading into the bottom of the ninth after an RBI double by Gustavo Nunez put it ahead 3-1.
Back-to-back singles by Yuki Yanagita and Kensuke Kondoh put runners on first and second with one out for the host country. Munetaka Murakami made it a 3-2 game with a single to right field, and Sosuke Genda came home after a bunt by Takuya Kai.