Once again, Team Samurai Japan leaned on the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani in a big moment Saturday night, and the superstar responded with a game-changing swing.

Ohtani helped spark Team Samurai Japan’s comeback during an 8–6 World Baseball Classic win over Korea by launching a towering home run in the third inning that tied the game and shifted momentum.

As reported by Michael Clair of MLB.com, Korea had seized early control, jumping out to a 3–0 lead before Japan began to chip away.

By the third inning, Japan trailed by a single run when Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box against Korea starter Young Pyo Ko.

Ko attempted to keep Ohtani off balance with a sequence of curveballs, throwing three in a row. The final one, however, stayed over the middle of the plate. Ohtani did not miss it, crushing the pitch 408 feet into the right-center field seats to tie the game.

Despite the dramatic moment, Ohtani’s reaction was notably subdued.

As he ran toward first base, he motioned toward Japan’s dugout, signaling for his teammates to remain calm rather than erupt in celebration.

When he rounded the bases, he continued to emphasize the same message.

“I was trying to send a message to the dugout, saying, ‘Hey, calm down, Let's go. The game is still tied,’” Ohtani said. “So, that's what it meant.”

Japan has embraced a playful “matcha whisking” celebration during the tournament, but Ohtani skipped it in that moment, choosing instead to keep the team focused on the task ahead.

Ohtani’s blast proved to be the spark that Team Japan needed. The crowd roared as the momentum shifted, and the lineup quickly piled on additional damage.

One batter later, Seiya Suzuki launched another home run — his second of the game — to give Team Samurai Japan the lead and chase Ko from the mound.

Moments later, Masataka Yoshida added another long ball off reliever Byeong Hyeon Jo, completing a stunning three-homer inning.

Still, Ohtani pointed to Suzuki’s earlier homer in the first inning as the emotional turning point for the team.

“Probably the biggest moment was Seiya's first jack,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “That gave us our confidence back. ... We gave up three runs first, but his first jack meant a lot to me. I think the first two-run homer was huge for us.”

For Ohtani, the swing marked yet another standout performance in international play.

Just one night earlier, he delivered a grand slam in the tournament, setting a WBC record with five RBIs in a single inning.

On Saturday, his timely homer once again demonstrated why Team Samurai Japan continues to rely on its biggest star in the game’s most critical moments.

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