A miracle in Tokyo happened. The South Korea WBC national team advanced past the first round for the first time in 17 years.
Korea defeated Australia in the first-round Pool C game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 9th. With this, Korea finished the group round with a 2-2 record and, by edging out Australia, Taiwan and others with the lowest runs-against rate, advanced past the first round for the first time since 2009. Now Korea boards a charter flight to Miami.
Facing elimination in fourth place in Pool C with a 1-2 record, Korea had a game that would decide its quarterfinal fate. Needing to win by at least five runs, Korea set its starting lineup as Kim Do-young (third base), Jamai Jones (left field), Lee Jung-hoo (center field), An Hyun-min (right field), Moon Bo-gyeong (designated hitter), Roh Si-hwan (third base), Kim Ju-won (shortstop), Park Dong-won (catcher) and Shin Min-jae (second base). Korea's starting pitcher, who had to hold Australia to two runs or fewer, was Son Ju-yeong.
Australia, already in a more favorable position than Korea at 2-1, started Travis Bazana (second base), Curtis Mead (third base), Aaron Whitefield (center field), Alex Hall (designated hitter), Jared Dale (shortstop), Robby Glendinning (left field), Rixon Wingrove (first base), Robby Perkins (catcher) and Tim Kennelly (right field). The starting pitcher was Raglan Wells, the Asian quota pitcher of the LG Twins, who took the mound.
Korea escaped the top of the first inning with three up, three down. In the bottom of the first, after one out Son Ju-yeong gave up a single to Curtis Mead and then a walk to Whitefield, creating a one-out, runners on first and second jam. But he got Alex Hall to fly out to left and Jared Dale to ground out to third to get out of the trouble.
Then Korea's offense erupted starting in the top of the second. After leadoff hitter An Hyun-min's hit put Korea in position, Moon Bo-gyeong, following her grand slam against the Czech Republic, once again emerged as the hero. With no outs and a runner on second in the second, she hit a two-run homer over the center-right fence to put Korea ahead 2-0.
Before the bottom of the second, starting pitcher Son Ju-yeong left with elbow pain, and Noh Kyung-eun, who hurriedly warmed up and came in, gave up a hit to leadoff batter Robby Glendinning but managed to retire the next three batters, including getting Rixon Wingrove on a double play.
The offense kept erupting in the top of the third. Jamai Jones' double to center-left and Lee Jung-hoo's double to center-right came back-to-back to make it 3-0. With no outs and a runner on second, An Hyun-min struck out, but Moon Bo-gyeong once again delivered an RBI double to center-right, extending the lead to 4-0. Noh Kyung-eun again retired the side in order in the third.
Korea, having skipped the fourth, scored again in the top of the fifth. After two outs in the fifth, An Hyun-min reached on a walk and successfully stole second. Then hero Moon Bo-gyeong again drove a timely hit that struck the upper left fence, making it 5-0. Korea completed the condition for advancing to the quarterfinals by the required margin of at least five runs.
But in the bottom of the fifth, Soh Young-jun gave up a solo homer to leadoff batter Robby Glendinning. It became 5-1, a four-run margin. Korea's hope continued. In the bottom of the sixth, after one out Park Dong-won produced an opportunity with an RBI double that struck the upper left fence. Shin Min-jae was retired on a grounder to third, but a wild pitch created a one-out, runner on third situation, and Kim Do-young's RBI single to right made it 6-1. The five-run margin was restored.
Korea brought in Park Young-hyun in the bottom of the sixth; after one out Park Young-hyun walked Curtis Mead but induced a double play on Aaron Whitefield. In the bottom of the seventh Dane Dunning came in. Dunning, who had given up a home run in the previous day's game against Taiwan, walked a batter and allowed an infield hit to create a no-out, runners on first and second jam. But Dunning made amends, getting Robby Glendinning to hit into a shortstop double play and striking out Rixon Wingrove to finish the seventh with no runs allowed.
However, Kim Taek-yeon, who came in the eighth, eventually gave up runs. After issuing a leadoff walk and allowing a sacrifice bunt, he was in a one-out, runner on second jam. Travis Bazana then delivered an RBI single to left, making it 6-2. There were no further runs in the bottom of the eighth. Korea had to add insurance in the top of the ninth to restore a lead of five or more runs.
In the top of the ninth, leadoff hitter Kim Do-young reached on a walk to create a chance. Jamai Jones was retired on a groundout, but on Lee Jung-hoo's grounder the Australia shortstop, Dale, who plays in the KIA organization, committed an error, creating a one-out, runners on first and third opportunity, and An Hyun-min's sacrifice fly to center made it 7-2, restoring the five-run margin. Jo Byung-hyun, who came in again in the ninth, closed out the game, securing Korea's advancement to the quarterfinals.<
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