Fukuoka/Taichung. The 2013 World Baseball Classic got underway on Saturday with three games. In Taichung, Chinese Taipei defeated Australia and the Netherlands stunned Olympic champion Korea with a shutout. In Fukuoka two-time defending WBC champion Japan needed a late comeback to beat Qualifier winner Brazil.
Chinese Taipei 4 – Australia 1
Led by a strong performance of former New York Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang, who pitched six scoreless innings, Chinese Taipei defeated Australia 4-1 in the first game of Pool B at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung. Cheng-Min Peng (TPE) and Stefan Welch (AUS) hit home runs in the opener of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Netherlands 5 – Korea 0
In a duel between the reigning IBAF Baseball World Cup champion and the last Olympic Gold Medal winner, the Netherlands had the happy ending with a 5-0 shutout over Korea. Diegomar Markwell led four Dutch pitchers, which combined to keep the strong Asian squad to four hits and four walks in nine scoreless innings.
Brazil 3 – Japan 5
Japan, which won the 2006 and the 2009 World Baseball Classic, needed a three-run rally in the eighth to down WBC Qualifier winner Brazil by a score of 5-3. The underdog showed a strong performance at the first game of Pool A at the Yahoo! Japan Dome in Fukuoka. But in the end the favorite only stumbled without falling.
Outlook
First-round play at the 2013 World Baseball Classic continues on Sunday. In Fukuoka Brazil hopes to surprise record world cup winner Cuba, while Japan faces China in an All-Asian duel. In Taichung host Chinese Taipei squares off with the Netherlands in a game of undefeated participants.
