Daiei Hawks infielder Tadahito Iguchi belted a grand slam homer and high school ace Hayato Terahara threw two innings of one-hit relief Wednesday as Japan opened its World Cup campaign with a 21-0 romp over the Philippines.
Iguchi got Japan rolling with an RBI single in the first inning and keyed a six-run third with his slam at Tienmou Stadium in a Group B game that was called after seven innings.
Kintetsu Buffaloes outfielder Fumitoshi Takano also chipped in a homer for Japan, which picked up its first win in the 16-team tourney.
Nihon University right-hander Shohei Tateyama allowed only three hits over four scoreless innings and Terahara, the hard-throwing hurler from Nichinan Gakuen in Miyazaki Prefecture, held the Philippines' batters to one hit over two innings.
On Tuesday, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung threw out the first pitch as Taiwan took the field against Italy for the opening game. Some 1,000 policemen were deployed in and around the stadium for the opener, in which Taiwan beat Italy 6-1.