Australia-Japan a compelling clash of undefeateds (Sunday, 6 a.m. ET, FS1)

TOKYO -- It's not very surprising that Japan, the three-time World Baseball Classic champions, is undefeated after two ballgames. Many expected this team, loaded with Major League talent and some of the best young players in Nippon Professional Baseball, to sweep through its home group stage at Tokyo Dome -- potentially even going undefeated for the second straight tournament.

But what about Australia, which had never advanced beyond the pool group since 2023? It knocked off Chinese Taipei, 3-0, in an outcome that was shocking to everyone but the Aussies before they defeated Czechia, 5-1. Both teams are 2-0. Could Australia pull off one of the greatest upsets in World Baseball Classic history?

"[The World Baseball Classic] gives the smaller nations an opportunity to grow and gives them a real vehicle where they can improve," manager Dave Nilsson said earlier this week. "This tournament is so important to the smaller nations. I feel like we as a nation have transitioned away from that now. We have really high expectations and we don't consider ourselves a second-tier nation. We kind of feel we're right in the mix of it now."

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:

When and where: Sunday, 6 a.m. ET at the Tokyo Dome (7 p.m., local time)

How you can watch: The game is available on FS1 in the United States and streaming on Netflix in Japan.

How you can listen: There is a free English-language audio stream available for every game.

Probable starting pitchers: Connor MacDonald vs. Tomoyuki Sugano

The Brisbane native actually made his debut in the Australian Baseball League as a position player when he was just 16 years old in 2012-13. He spent three winters there before signing with the Houston Astros. He reached Single-A before reinventing himself as a pitcher and converting to the position full-time just three years ago. Though he posted a 6.23 ERA in the league this past winter in 43 1/3 innings, he has the ability to make batters whiff. His 47 K's ranked third in the ABL. It's a tough task to go up against the defending champions, but then again, the MacDonald family is tough. Connor's brother, Callum, is a professional rugby player in Japan.

The hosts counter with its veteran starter, Sugano. The new Rockies signee had a solid debut Major League season as a 35-year-old, going 10-10 with a 4.64 ERA, but strikeouts are not a mjaor part of his game. Among all big league pitchers with at least 150 innings, Sugano's 6.1 K/9 was third worst. It would be foolish to look past the veteran starter though, who was a three-time NPB Central League MVP Award winner, a two-time Sawamura Award winner and an eight-time NPB All-Star. Australia's hitters may be able to hit the ball over the fence, but they'll need to do it against a pitcher who can throw six pitches in any count.

Sugano also has a win against Australia in the World Baseball Classic: He defeated the Aussies in a 4-1 victory in 2017.

Matchup history: Japan and Australia met for the first time in the World Baseball Classic in 2017, with Sugano getting the victory in that one. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and Sho Nakata each added home runs in that one.

Japan then defeated Australia, 7-1, in 2023. It was the Aussies' only loss that year in the Tokyo pool, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out eight batters over four innings, and Shohei Ohtani smashed a three-run home run.