Baseball: Suzuki sets tone with homer as Japan wins last WBC warm-up

OSAKA - Seiya Suzuki provided the early fireworks Tuesday as Samurai Japan held off the Hanshin Tigers 5-4 in the national team's final warm-up game ahead of the World Baseball Classic.

The Chicago Cubs slugger put skipper Hirokazu Ibata's team on the board with his solo home run to the upper deck beyond left field in the top of the first inning at Kyocera Dome Osaka.