World Baseball Classic Morning Recap: Australia blanks Chinese Taipei to open up the tournament

"Robbie Perkins, who deposited a middle-middle fastball from Po-Yu Chen over the right-centre field wall. Perkins smashed the offering 388 feet with the ball leaving the bat at 103 MPH. Guardians prospect Travis Bazzana would add another insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning, sending a solo shot over the right field wall."

"It was Australia's pitching staff that earned the win that day, holding Chinese Taipei to just three hits and two walks while striking out nine. Alex Wells kicked things off, tossing three scoreless innings with one walk and six punchouts and zero hits allowed."

"Chinese Taipei was also dealt another tough injury blow when team captain Chieh-Hsien Chen was hit on the hands by an inside fastball from O'Loughlin in the top of the sixth inning. He would be diagnosed with a fractured left index finger following the game."

The 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C began at Tokyo Dome with Australia facing Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei lost prospect Hao-Yu Lee to an oblique strain before the tournament started. Australia scored all three runs through home runs by Robbie Perkins (two-run shot in the fifth inning) and Travis Bazzana (solo shot in the seventh). Australia's pitching dominated, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out nine batters across three pitchers. Chinese Taipei's starter Jo-Hsi Hsu pitched four scoreless innings but Po-Yu Chen allowed Perkins' decisive two-run homer. Chinese Taipei also suffered a major injury when team captain Chieh-Hsien Chen fractured his left index finger after being hit by a pitch.

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