Wilyer Abreu hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning Saturday night for Venezuela, which eliminated defending champion Japan with an 8-5 win in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals in Miami.

Venezuela, the runner-up in Pool D with a 3-1 record, will face Italy in Monday night’s semifinal. Italy outlasted Puerto Rico 8-6 in Houston earlier Saturday.

The winner of Venezuela-Italy will advance to Tuesday’s championship game against the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Japan, which went 4-0 in Pool C play, was eliminated prior to the semifinals for the first time in six WBCs as its bid for a fourth title ended.

Abreu’s homer provided the biggest flourish in an entertaining game that began in historic fashion when Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani each homered leading off the first.

Acuna Jr., the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player, and Ohtani, the two-time defending NL MVP who also won two MVPs in the American League, are the first pair of former MVPs to lead off the same game with homers.

Gleyber Torres gave Venezuela the lead a second time with an RBI double in the second before Japan went ahead 5-2 in the third, when Teruaki Sato delivered a run-scoring double and Shota Morishita later followed with a three-run homer.

Morishita entered the game an inning earlier in place of Seiya Suzuki, who exited with a right knee injury after he was caught stealing in the first.

Venezuela began its comeback in the fifth, when Maikel Garcia hit a two-run homer. Ezequiel Tovar and Torres opened the sixth with singles against losing pitcher Hiromi Itoh before Abreu unleashed a wild celebration by hitting a 409-foot homer to right.

Tovar added an insurance run in the eighth when he scored from second when Atsuki Taneichi’s pickoff throw sailed into centerfield.

Enmanuel De Jesus, Venezuela’s third pitcher, earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball. Daniel Palancia notched the save by striking out two in a perfect ninth that ended with Ohtani popping out.

Ranger Suarez started and the game for Venezuela and gave up all five runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for Japan and allowed two runs in four innings.

–Field Level Media

Bobby McMann scored twice and had an assist in his debut for his new team as the Seattle Kraken snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory against the host Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

Matty Beniers had a goal and two assists and Jordan Eberle added three assists with McMann on the No. 1 line.

Jared McCann and Jamie Oleksiak also scored and Brandon Montour had two assists for the Kraken, who remained a point behind San Jose in the chase for the Western Conference’s second and final wild-card playoff berth. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 32 saves.

Evander Kane and Marco Rossi scored for the league-worst Canucks, who dropped to 7-21-5 at home this season. Nikita Tolopilo stopped 28 of 33 shots.

McMann, acquired from Toronto at the March 6 trade deadline, had to sit out three straight games while awaiting approval of his visa paperwork.

McMann broke a 1-1 tie on the power play at 19:10 of the first period. His wrist shot from just below the left faceoff dot snuck between Tolopilo’s pads and trickled over the goal line.

McMann scored his 21st goal of the season, surpassing his career high set in 2024-25, on a 3-on-2 rush at 4:14 of the third. Beniers sent the puck to Eberle on the right wing and his cross-slot pass found McMann for a tip-in at the far post to make it 4-1.

The Kraken opened the scoring at 4:12 of the first as McCann snapped a 10-game goalless drought. Montour skated the puck down the right wing and attempted a shot from the corner. Tolopilo made the save, but the rebound kicked right back to Montour, who went behind the net and spotted McCann alone in the slot for a one-timer.

Kane tied the score at 11:42 of the period on a breakaway. Kane deked Grubauer and lifted a backhander into the roof of the net.

Oleksiak tallied the lone goal of the second period at 5:06, joining the rush and taking a pass from Beniers in the high slot before beating Tolopilo with a wrist shot high to the glove side.

Beniers scored at 9:58 of the third, beating Tolopilo from the low slot after taking Eberle’s pass from behind the net.

Rossi capped the scoring at 19:40 of the third on a rebound after Grubauer stopped a breakaway.

The Kraken flew into Vancouver on Saturday morning after a snowstorm prevented them from traveling the previous day.

–Field Level Media

Mathieu Choiniere’s second-half brace lifted Los Angeles FC to a 2-0 victory over visiting St. Louis City SC on Saturday night.

Hugo Lloris made four saves for his fourth clean sheet as LAFC (4-0-0, 12 points) improved to 5-0-2 in seven all-time MLS matches against St. Louis.

Roman Burki made three saves for St. Louis (0-3-1, 1 point), which has gone three matches without a goal.

Choiniere put LAFC up 1-0 in the 73rd minute, putting his strike between the legs of a St. Louis defender and past a diving Burki.

The Canadian midfielder struck again eight minutes later, putting his curling, right-footed strike past an outstretched Burki.

Prior to Choiniere’s brace, St. Louis had a couple of glorious chances to get on the board.

In the 60th minute, off a LAFC turnover, Marcel Hartel put his right-footed strike over the bar.

Then, four minutes later, off a Hartel corner, Sergio Cordova’s header missed just right of the goal.

The two sides split the first half possession time, and each had a shot on target in a scoreless opening 45 minutes of action.

LAFC’s first quality chance came early as Denis Bouanga, in the area, sailed his strike over the bar in the opening minute.

St. Louis thought it opened the scoring in the 14th minute off a Hartel free kick, which found the back of the net, but a foul on Chris Durkin negated the goal.

Lloris delivered a key save in the 35th minute off Cedric Teuchert’s right-footed strike from just left of the goal.

With five minutes remaining in the opening 45, Nathan Ordaz hit the right post from the middle of the area.

Saturday was the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. LAFC visits St. Louis on May 13.

Both clubs return to MLS action next Saturday — LAFC visits Austin, while St. Louis entertains New England.

–Field Level Media