Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night.
After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
"It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
Unlike in November, when the team only lost two games at the WBSC's flagship tournament, Taiwan had lost two of their first three games, including a 15-5 drubbing by Spain.
Chen thanked fans for standing by them and cheering even when WBC qualification at one point seemed out of reach.
The win-or-go-home game was a back-and-forth battle from the start.
While Team Taiwan scored two runs and one run in the first two innings respectively, Spain kept the margin at one by responding with a run in each of the first two frames.
The turning point came at the top of the sixth, when leadoff hitter Chen Wun-jie (陳文杰) reached second base on a single and a steal with no outs, with Taiwan leading 3-2.
Chiang Shao-hung (蔣少宏) and Sung Chen-jui (宋晟睿) executed two sacrifice bunts, while third baseman Wander Encarnacion committed two consecutive throwing errors, allowing the home team to tack on two more runs.
However, Spain kept the game close as Rusber Estrada answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, his second of the qualifier series.
Team Spain had a chance to shift momentum in the seventh when they loaded the bases on two walks and a single with one out, but Sun Yi-lei (孫易磊) got out of the jam by striking out two batters in a row.
Making his debut in a major senior-level international tournament, the 20-year-old fireballer made his mark by pitching a 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two.
Taiwan added an insurance run in the eighth before closer Tseng Jyun-yue (曾峻岳) struck out the side to seal victory.
ELTA TV commentator Tseng Wen-cheng (曾文誠) praised Sun for his composure under pressure while also commending Spain's performance.
"Team Spain played really, really well," he said. "They kept the game at a high intensity, which would have been even higher without those two errors."
After the game, Team Taiwan manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒) apologized for putting the fans through such a nerve-wracking match, saying the team learned valuable lessons from their struggles.
"To prepare for the WBC, our players must stay on guard because the opponents will only be stronger and better," Tseng said.
With the win, Taiwan joined Nicaragua in securing a spots in the WBC, set to take place in March next year.
Meanwhile, China, Germany, Brazil and Colombia are to compete for the remaining two slots from Sunday to Thursday next week.
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