TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The World Baseball Classic started on Thursday as Australia defeated Taiwan 3-0 at Tokyo Dome in the opener for Pool C, which includes defending champion Japan.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Australian catcher Robbie Perkins blasted a two-run homer to right-center field, giving Australia a 2-0 lead.

Samurai Japan, headlined by two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is set to face Taiwan in its first game on Friday in Tokyo, followed by South Korea on Saturday, Australia on Sunday and the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Right-handed ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani's teammate, is expected to start against the Taiwan squad.

A total of 20 teams have been divided into four pools for the first round of the WBC, with the top two from each pool advancing to the quarterfinals in Houston and Miami on March 13 and 14.

Miami will also host the semifinals and final from March 15 to 17.