'Australia, which defeated Korea' rises from 4th to 3rd place: notable growth as they beat Taiwan 6-4 in the 3rd/4th-place playoff [APBC]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Australia, which inflicted a painful defeat on the Korean national baseball team, concluded the 2026 Asia Pro Baseball Championship (APBC) in third place, one spot higher than in the previous tournament.

The Australian national team defeated Taiwan 6-4 in the 3rd/4th-place playoff of the 2026 APBC held at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 15th.

When Australia first participated in the APBC in 2023, they finished last with four consecutive losses. In this tournament, however, they secured an 8-7 comeback victory against Korea in their opening game. They subsequently lost to Japan and Taiwan, and despite being tied with Korea at one win and two losses, they were edged out by Team Quality Balance (TQB) and headed to the 3rd/4th-place playoff.

In the preliminary round, Australia had inflicted a painful 4-6 defeat on Taiwan. On this day, they succeeded in getting revenge against their opponents.

Trailing 0-1 after conceding the first run in the bottom of the second inning, Australia seized control by creating a big inning in the top of the fifth. After drawing three walks to create a bases-loaded opportunity with one out, Brent Ayerday's tying RBI hit and Chris Burke's hit-by-pitch walk resulted in a lead change via a bases-loaded walk.

Although Taiwan made a pitching change, Blake Cabel and Clayton Campbell consecutively hit two-RBI doubles on the ensuing bases-loaded opportunity, scoring five runs in the fifth inning alone to take a 5-1 lead.

Trouble arrived immediately. In the bottom of the fifth, with one out, they allowed consecutive hits. After allowing a walk with two outs to load the bases, they gave up a three-RBI double to Liu Jun-wei.

After falling behind 6-4, Australia allowed another walk, but relief pitcher Connor Mills retired Lin Hong-jen with a groundout to end the threat.

The bullpen then held on for four scoreless innings through the ninth to secure the victory. Facing a bases-loaded threat with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Kyren Hall eliminated the danger with a strikeout and a ground ball, leading the team to victory.

Australian baseball, which was once on the periphery of the sport, is growing rapidly. They inflicted a painful defeat on Korea in the first group stage game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and in this tournament as well, they pushed Korea into a crisis.

In contrast, while Korea wrote history with fourth-place finishes and runner-up results in the 2006 and 2009 WBCs, and a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it has failed to achieve notable results in international tournaments since then.

On the 14th, legends who gathered at Jamsil Baseball Stadium unanimously stated that Korean baseball must find a path to develop with an eye toward a more distant future.

Of course, results are also important. At 7 p.m. on the 15th, Korea will face Japan in the APBC final. Having recorded one draw and 12 losses against Japan over 11 years without a single victory, they aim to end their losing streak and claim their first tournament title simultaneously. A victory over Japan is expected to be a crucial turning point for gaining confidence in international competitions as well.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original