Baseball NSW congratulates Team Australia for their solid representation at the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, Japan, from 5 to 9 March!
While the Australian squad ultimately bowed out of the tournament after an agonizing loss to South Korea in pool play, the team showed they could hang with the top teams on the world stage.
First, the World #11-ranked Team Australia stunned the World #2 Chinese Taipei squad th a 3-0 win to open their campaign at the Tokyo Dome.
The near-capacity crowd at the Dome saw Robbie Perkins and Travis Bazzana score all three of Australia’s runs, while the debuting Curtis Mead had two hits in his first WBC stint.
On the mound, Alexander Wells, Jon Kennedy, and Jack O’Loughlin were masterful, each throwing three shutout innings and allowing only three total hits from their opponents.
During their last appearance at the WBC, Australia also defeated powerhouse Korea during their opener, proving that they could compete with the best of them at any given day.
“I think we’re there with the best in the world on any given day,” Perkins said post-game, referring to reporters calling this victory a “major upset.” “I think we need to start acknowledging we can give it to them.”
On their second game, Team Australia dominated Czechia on the plate and on the mound, improving to a 2-0 record in pool play at the WBC.
The third inning saw Mead score three runs to pull his team up 3-1, before ultimately sealing the game with two more runs in the ninth.
While Mead’s offense put his team over the top, Australia’s pitching kept Czechia from gathering momentum and mounting any sort of consistent offense.
Josh Hendrickson started for the Aussies and led the a shutout performance from the bullpen to keep the Czechs at arm’s length.
For his part, Hendrickson threw three innings and allowed only one run, paving the way for his relievers–Coen Wynne, Blake Townsend, Ky Hampton, Todd Van Steensel, and Mitch Neunborn–to let zero runs in their six innings.
Offensively, Alex Hall, Jarryd Dale, Chris Burke also scored two hits each to spearhead the Australian bats. This win pushed Team Australia to the top of Pool C, also dubbed the “Group of Death” because of the presence of baseball powerhouses Japan, Korea, and Chinese Taipei.
So far, the Australians have passed every test put in front of them, but their biggest was yet to come as they prepared to face World #1 Japan next, led by one of the greatest-ever players to ever hit the field, two-time MLB champion Shohei Ohtani.
The Japanese won a tightly contested game 4-3, but the loss also showed the world the Australians meant business and they belonged in conversations with the world’s best baseball teams.
For instance, the Australians took a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning, and it took a massive swing from Boston Red Sox superstar Masataka Yoshida to score two-runs off a homer with two outs and to give his team the lead for good.
Throughout the game, the Aussies had more hits than the Japanese, 8-5, and made impeccable plays on the field. They also showed incredible spirit in the final out and nearly knocked off Japan for the first time since the 2004 Olympics.
Connor MacDonald set the tone for Team Australia on the mound, throwing three shutout innings to start the game. Meanwhile, Robbie Perkins got his team out of a bases-loaded jam by throwing a runner out at second, and Aaron Whitefield gathered three hits to give Australia a late lead.
In the ninth, Australia trailed 4-1 but they fought their way back thanks to a pair of homeruns from Rixon Wingrove and Alex Hall. Whitefield also led Australia with three hits, while team captain Tim Kennelly had two.
After the game, Robbie Perkins tipped his hat to the Japanese team. “They’re the best for a reason,” he said. “They stick with every game and are never out of it.”
Still, Perkins was hopeful that they could improve on their performance, having gained confidence from going toe-to-toe with the world’s baseball giants.
However, it was not to be, as the Australians failed to advance to the WBC quarterfinal in Miami after a heartbreaking loss to Korea.
The final score was the exact score that prevented the Australians from advancing. With a 2-1 record, they still would have advanced with a loss, provided they didn’t lose by more than four, and they didn’t allow 7 runs.
They lost to Korea 7-2.
Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Australia all finished 2-2 in Pool C, but Korea won the tiebreaker by a single run, an unearned run in the final inning.
The Australians were on a knife’s edge all game as they trailed 4-0 early. Throughout the game, the deficit went between four and five: 5-0, 5-1, 6-1, and 6-2.
In the eighth, Australia was almost through as Travis Bazzana came up with a tremendous RBI single to trim the five-run deficit to the magic number of four.
If the Australians could have held strong, they would have advanced to Miami with a 6-2 score.
However, Hyun Min Ahn hit a sacrifice fly that put Hae-Min Park on the plate. A throwing error from shortstop Jarryd Dale moments earlier let Park reach third and score the winning run.
Still, Rixon Wingrove hit what looked like a sure double and that would have scored a runner from first, but right fielder Jung Hoo Lee dashed the Australians’ last hopes as he dove to catch the ball, booking their ticket to the quarterfinal.
After the game, Team Australia manager David Nilsson spoke highly of his team while acknowledging the heavy loss. “We can play on this stage but we have more work to do, more improvements to make in the big moments,” he said. “We keep looking forward and to build on the program.”
He also added, “I told the players how much I believe in them, and how much I trust them, and that’s all I can do.”
Team Australia’s campaign may have come to a sudden end, but they proved that Australian baseball belonged in the same tier as the world’s heavyweights, which is worth admiring nonetheless.
Baseball NSW congratulates Team Australia for their tremendous performance at this year’s World Baseball Classic! We look forward to seeing you play more thrilling games at the international stage against the world’s best players.
Photos from Baseball Australia