Chinese Taipei, Netherlands advance to Tokyo Dome at WBC

05/03/2013

Fukuoka/Taichung. Chinese Tapei and IBAF 2011 Baseball World Cup winner the Netherlands are joining Cuba and Japan in the second round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic at the Tokyo Dome (March 8 to 12) in Tokyo, Japan. The Dutch team beat Australia in the afternoon game at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung on Tuesday to finish the first round in second place. Chinese Taipei lost to Korea, but still was ranked first in Pool B due to the tiebreaker. In Pool A China celebrated a late comeback to get its first win in the tournament.

Fukuoka/Taichung. Chinese Tapei and IBAF 2011 Baseball World Cup winner the Netherlands are joining Cuba and Japan in the second round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic at the Tokyo Dome (March 8 to 12) in Tokyo, Japan. The Dutch team beat Australia in the afternoon game at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung on Tuesday to finish the first round in second place. Chinese Taipei lost to Korea, but still was ranked first in Pool B due to the tiebreaker. In Pool A China celebrated a late comeback to get its first win in the tournament.

Netherlands 4 – Australia 1

For the second time after the upsets over the Dominican Republic at the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands advanced to the second round. The Dutch team of manager Hensely Meulens defeated Australia 4-1 on Tuesday at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung to finish the first round in Pool B with a 2-1 record in second place. Australia will travel home winless in three games. The Netherlands were sparked by strong pitching of starter Rob Cordemans, who had beaten Cuba in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup Final, and a two-run home run of Baltimore Orioles prospect Jonathan Schoop.

Korea 3 – Chinese Taipei 2

Even though Olympic Gold Medal winner Korea overcame a 0-2 deficit in a 3-2 win over Chinese Taipei in the evening game at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung on Tuesday, they will be eliminated from the tournament. Korea would have needed a six-plus run difference in a win to prevail in the tiebreaker scenario over Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands. Chinese Taipei meanwhile will join the Dutch as advancing teams from Pool B. Jungho Kang hit a two-run home run with two outs in the eighth to lift the finalist of the 2009 World Baseball Classic to the victory.

China 5 – Brazil 2

In the lone Tuesday game at the Yahoo! Dome in Fukuoka the fans in the stands saw also a comeback for the home team. China used patience to erase a 0-2 deficit with a five-run rally in the eighth to stun Brazil 5-2. It was China’s first win in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. They took advantage of a couple of walks and a crucial two-run single by Ray Chang to turn the page against the South Americans. Brazil, which has been led by Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, will finish the tournament in fourth place in Pool A despite showing impressive performances in all three games.

Standings:

Pool A:
1) Cuba 2-0
1) Japan 2-0
3) China 1-2
4) Brazil 0-3

Pool B (final):
1) Chinese Taipei 2-1
2) Netherlands 2-1
3) Korea 2-1
4) Australia 0-3

Outlook

The first round in Pool A will be concluded on Wednesday with the highly anticipated clash between Japan and Cuba at the Yahoo! Dome in Fukuoka. During two exhibition games last November in Japan, which were officially sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, Team Samurai won twice against the record world champion. The winner of the duel will finish the first round in first place and advances to the second as the number-one seed.

Cuba, Japan, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands will play the second round at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan from March 8 to 12 in a modified double elimination format. Pools C and D of the first round at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which will be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico (with Spain, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico) and in Phoenix, Arizona (with Canada, Italy, Mexico and USA) are going to get underway on Thursday, March 7.

The top two teams each from Pools C and D qualify for the second round, which will be played in Miami, Florida from March 12 to 16. The final round is scheduled to be played in San Francisco, California from March 17 to 19. The winner of the 2013 World Baseball Classic will be named IBAF World Champion for the first time. The 2013 World Baseball Classic is officially sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation.

Photo: World Baseball Classic, Inc.