Great Britain and Czechia qualify for World Baseball Classic 2023

Great Britain and Czechia qualify for World Baseball Classic 2023
22/09/2022
They earned their spots in the first qualifier in Regensburg, Germany. Two more National Teams will advance to the tournament from a second qualifier, set to open on 30 September in Panama City.

Great Britain and Czechia qualified for the fifth edition of the World Baseball Classic. They earned their spots in the first qualifier in Regensburg, Germany.

In the last game of the winner's bracket in the double-elimination tournament, World No. 23 Great Britain defeated No. 19 Spain, 10-9.

Spain took the lead in the ninth. In the bottom half of the frame, Jaden Rudd, a 20-year-old Toronto Blue Jays minor leaguer, homered off Rhiner Cruz to tie the game.

"I took a pretty good pitch that I probably should have put in play. After that, I was done thinking. Just bat to baseball. I got a good pitch, got out front, and it landed way over the fence," Rudd told MLB.com. "I couldn't believe what happened. [My teammates] were just excited for the team and me. It was like a new energy in the dugout. We felt like we were gonna win that baseball game. And we did. That was one of the best moments in my baseball career right there."

Tahnaj Thomas shut out Spain in the top of the 10th and Great Britain won it in the bottom half of the inning. Matt Koperniak went from second to third on a throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alex Crosby

"We thought these guys would be relentless, fierce competitors," manager Drew Spencer said. "That's the team that we wanted to put together. And that's exactly who they were."

Spain had another chance against World No. 14 Czechia, but strong pitching limited their offence to one run, and Czechia went on to win 3-1.

Martin Schneider pitched 6.1 dominant innings, giving up only five hits, including a leadoff double to former Major Leaguer Engel Beltre in the first. Beltre scored Spain's only run.

Schneider fell 3-0 in the count with Lesther Galvan with the bases loaded in the fourth, then got him out on a ground ball.

"On a full count, I was pretty confident with my slider. I threw a slider for a strike and got a ground ball out. It was good," commented Schneider.

A two-run home run by Martin Muzik in the second and a solo shot by WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2021 star Marek Chlup in the fourth provided the three runs.

Marek Minarik got the final eight outs.

A second qualifier, scheduled in Panama City from 30 September to 5 October, will award the final two spots.

The participants in Panama are the hosts ranked No. 13 in the world, No. 15 Nicaragua, No. 25 Brazil, No. 27 Argentina, No. 31 Pakistan, and No. 46 New Zealand.

The V World Baseball Classic is scheduled for March 2023.