Taiwan advances in WBC despite loss

Prior to the game, Taiwan already had a significant advantage in its bid to advance to the second round, thanks to winning both of their weekend matches.

The team needed either a win against South Korea or a loss of less than four runs to move on.

Taiwan came close to claiming victory, leading 0-2 until the eighth inning.

But batter Kang Jung-ho's two-run homer on a pitch by Taiwanese fireballer Kuo Hung-chih (郭泓志) led South Korea's three-run rally in the eighth.

The loss meant Taiwan finished the round, held at Taichung's Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, with a 2-1 record, making it the winner of Pool B.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands finished the pool runners-up, after defeating Australia 4-1 early yesterday.

Both teams will face Japan and Cuba at the WBC's second round, set to begin Friday in Tokyo.

“It is a pity we could not take the win over the Koreans, but fortunately we can still advance to Tokyo,” Chinese-Taipei manager Hsieh Chang-heng (謝長亨) said after the game.

This is the first time Taiwan has advanced to the second round of the WBC, the highest-level international baseball competition.

In the previous WBC held in 2009, Taiwan failed to clinch a single win and finished 14th among the 16 participating teams.

The failure included an embarrassing loss to China, seen by many Taiwanese as a national disgrace.

Collective Efforts

Supported by a cheering capacity crowd of 20,000 in Taichung, Taiwan drew first blood in the third inning.

Facing South Korean left-handed starter Chang Won-jun, slugger Lin Chih-sheng (林智勝) singled on a line drive to center field, sending runner Yang Dai-kang (陽岱鋼) back to first base. Taiwan led 0-1.

The home squad added another run in the fourth thanks to an RBI single by Yang Dai-kang, widening the gap to 2-0.

Starter Yang Yao-hsun (陽耀勳) held the South Korean lineup scoreless until the third frame, when he was relieved because of a fingernail problem.

Building on Yang Yao-hsun's start, Taiwanese relievers Wang Ching-ming (王鏡銘) and Lo Ching-lung (羅錦龍) kept South Korea scoreless.

But South Korean batter Kang's homer rained on Taiwan's chances of a much-hoped for third consecutive win.

South Korea could not get enough points on the board to keep Taiwan from clinching a berth in the next round.

Taiwan won its tournament opener Saturday against Australia 4-1. It later topped the Dutch after coming back from an early 0-3 deficit, taking the important win with a final score of 8-3.

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