Ohtani homers to keep Japan perfect

Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer that landed just below his image on a video advertising board, sending Japan to a 7-1 victory over Australia in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday night in Tokyo.

Ohtani also walked twice and finished with four RBIs. His first-inning drive traveled an estimated 448 feet.

Japan won Group B with a 4-0 record and will play a quarterfinal Thursday against Italy, which advanced along with Cuba from Group A on tiebreakers.

Ohtani turned on a hanging curveball from Will Sherriff, who didn’t even watch the flight of the ball into the Tokyo Dome’s right-field seats, bending and putting hands on his knees.

It was the first home run of the tournament for Ohtani, who is six for 12 with eight RBIs and seven walks.

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New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo was scratched from the lineup against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., because of back pain. ... Dustin May threw four innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and a walk and Steven Duggar went three for three as the Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 in Goodyear, Ariz. ... Griffin Canning yielded two hits and one run in three innings as the Angels tied the Chicago White Sox 1-1 in Glendale, Ariz. ... The Reds’ Joey Votto played in his first Cactus League game after he had surgery to repair the biceps and the rotator cuff in his left shoulder on Aug. 19. ... New York Mets reliever Brooks Raley was removed from the U.S. roster at the WBC after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring.