Munetaka Murakami looked lost for most of a classic World Baseball Classic semifinal against Mexico, but it took only one swing for him to become the hero of the night.

Japan topped Mexico 6-5 on Monday in Miami to advance to the final, surviving a slugfest that ended with a walk-off double by Murakami, who was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as he walked to the plate. Shohei Ohtani started the game-winning rally with a leadoff double and was followed by a walk from Masataka Yoshida, opening the door for Murakami:

Japan will face the United States in the final Tuesday in Miami (FS1), a matchup between two of the tournament favorites.

Monday night was billed as the American debut of Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki, but it wound up being so much more. That's not to say Sasaki wasn't electric; he was, starting by striking out Randy Arozarena on a 102 mph pitch to open the game.