How it unfolded
The sides had split four earlier meetings in the same tournament. In the final Japan led 3–2 with two outs in the ninth when Lee Bum-ho's solo homer off Yu Darvish forced extras. Before 54,846 in the tenth, Japan put runners on second and third with two outs for Ichiro Suzuki. After a nine-pitch battle with Chang Yong Lim, Ichiro singled to centre to score both. Darvish closed the tenth for a 5–3 win. Ichiro had struggled all tournament and said so publicly; one at-bat flipped the narrative. Japan repeated as champions after 2006; Daisuke Matsuzaka was MVP of both. Korea finished runners-up at 6–3 overall.
Why it still matters
The game that made the WBC a real international championship, not an exhibition. Japan and Korea contesting a final on American soil while Team USA exited in the semis showed that elite talent no longer clustered only in North America. Both countries now treat WBC finals as peak-TV events.