Tokyo: South Korea fell to Japan 11-4 in the first of their two exhibition baseball games in Tokyo on Saturday, as the wobbly bullpen failed to preserve an early lead at Tokyo Dome. The two rivals will go back at it at 7 p.m. Sunday at the dome.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea was initially held without a hit by Japan’s starter Ryuhei Sotani through the first three innings. However, the bats came alive against new pitcher Daisuke Moriura in the fourth inning. After Shin Min-jae led off with a single, Ahn Hyun-min smashed a home run to left-center, putting South Korea ahead 2-0. Song Sung-mun followed with a solo homer, extending the lead to 3-0.

Japan responded quickly, equalizing the score in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starter Gwak Been gave up a walk and a double, followed by Shugo Maki’s single that scored Japan’s first run and ended Gwak’s outing. With new pitcher Lee Ro-un on the mound and runners on base, Misho Nishikawa’s two-run double tied the game at 3-3.

Japan took advantage of South Korea’s unstable bullpen in the fifth inning, scoring six runs. Kim Taek-yeon, who had replaced Lee, allowed a walk and a single. Right-hander Lee Ho-sung then conceded a three-run homer to Yukinori Kishida, giving Japan a 6-3 lead. Lee further struggled, loading the bases with a walk, a single, and a hit-by-pitch. Sung Yeong-tak took over but allowed an RBI single to Seishiro Sakamoto and a two-run single to Tai Sasaki, increasing Japan’s lead to 9-3.

South Korea managed to score in the eighth inning when Shin Min-jae crossed home plate following a misplay by first baseman Sasaki. However, Japan added two more runs in the bottom of the inning with a bases-loaded single from Kenya Wakatsuki and a double play ball by Sasaki.

The South Korean bullpen conceded nine hits, eight walks, and two hit batters over 4 2/3 innings. Offensively, South Korea only managed three hits after their three-run fourth inning.

The Korea Baseball Organization arranged these exhibition games against Japan and the Czech Republic to prepare the national team for the World Baseball Classic next March. South Korea, Japan, and the Czech Republic will compete in Pool C of the tournament, along with Australia and Chinese Taipei.