TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan defeated Spain on Tuesday to secure a spot in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
In their first meeting on Friday, Taiwan suffered a 12-5 loss to Spain, but secured a victory over South Africa Saturday. Nicaragua defeated Taiwan 6-0 Sunday, earning a place in the 2026 WBC.
The WBC qualifiers, held from Friday to Tuesday at the Taipei Dome, featured teams from Taiwan, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Spain. The top two teams from the qualifier earned their spots in the 2026 WBC, as per MLB regulations.
Taiwan has now secured its place in the upcoming WBC, set to take place from March 5 to 17, 2026, in the US, Puerto Rico, and Japan.
Game
Taiwan sent pitcher Chuang Chen Chung-ao (莊陳仲敖) to start the crucial game. In the top of the first, Taiwan took a 2-0 lead, but Spain responded with a run in the bottom half to close the gap to 2-1.
In the top of the second, Taiwan extended its lead to 3-1 as Chen Wen-chieh (陳文杰) and Sung Cheng-jui (宋晟睿) hit singles, while Wang Po-hsuan (王博玄) and Lin Tzu-wei (林子偉) earned walks. However, Spain responded in the bottom of the second, using a combination of hits, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt to narrow the gap to 3-2.
At the top of the third, Taiwan went down in order. Similarly, in the bottom of the third, Chuang Chen retired Spain’s batters without letting any reach base.
In the bottom of the fourth, reliever Hsu Ruo-hsi (徐若熙) took the mound and fired fastballs, effectively controlling Spain's lineup and maintaining Taiwan's 3-2 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Chen Wen-chieh (陳文杰) hit a single to center, placing a runner on first. Chiang Shao-hung (蔣少宏) then executed a sacrifice bunt, and a defensive error by Spain allowed the runner to score, putting Taiwan ahead 4-2.
Sung Cheng-jui then had a successful sacrifice bunt, and once more, Spain’s defense mishandled the play, letting another runner reach home plate to increase Taiwan's lead to 5-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, Spain hit a solo shot, narrowing the score to 5-3.
In the top of the seventh, Chang Yu-cheng (張育成) belted a deep double, putting Taiwan in scoring position once again. However, the team failed to extend the rally, leaving runners stranded at base.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Taiwan brought in Sun Yi-lei (孫易磊) to pitch. Sun responded by striking out two batters in a row, successfully keeping Spain from scoring.
In the top of the eighth inning, Taiwan scored one run on a sacrifice fly by Lin Tzu-wei, bringing in a runner from third. The scoring opportunity was set up by a hit by pitch and a stolen base, putting runners in scoring position.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Taiwan handed the closing role to Tseng Jyun-yue (曾峻岳). Tseng delivered with a fastball barrage, striking out three batters to secure the win.
With this victory, Taiwan clinched a spot in the 2026 WBC.
