Bazzana's blast helps Australia power past Chinese Taipei in Classic opener

TOKYO – Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, had been dreaming of this moment for years. In college, he kept a note on his phone outlining his dream 2026 World Baseball Classic lineup, with his name penciled atop manager Dave Nilsson’s lineup.

On Thursday, inside a packed Tokyo Dome, Bazzana’s dreams came true. Up 2-0 in the seventh inning, the Guardians prospect smashed a laser beam for a home run over the right-field fence to give Australia some breathing room in its eventual 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei.

“The two things I thought about most growing up was playing in the WBC – thinking about the Tokyo Dome because we always come here – and obviously playing in the World Series in MLB,” Bazzana said. “It’s special.”

Though Australia was technically the home team, it felt more like a road game thanks to thousands of raucous fans who traveled to cheer and sing for Chinese Taipei. But when Bazzana went deep to extend the lead, the atmosphere immediately changed.

“It was a weird feeling when I hit the home run because the crowd went very quiet, and it was strange,” Bazzana said with a grin. “My mind didn't know what to think because I was expecting a cheer, but, no, it's so, so quiet.”

“They're great fans, they're really passionate fans, and Taiwan's not that far away,” Nilsson said. “It's a pretty cheap flight, so coming over here for the week is a pretty easy thing to plan for. It was by no means a surprise at all. We knew that their fans are going to be really supportive.”

With the game scoreless into the fifth, Australia catcher Robbie Perkins broke the deadlock with a two-run home run. It’s not the first time that Perkins has come through in this building: In 2023, he also hit a crucial three-run shot against Korea.

“I think first and foremost, any time you strap on the jersey of your country, your emotions run high, so being able to come up clutch like that and put a couple runs on the board for the time obviously just elevated that,” Perkins said. “But I feel like I’ve been here long enough now where I can control that to a degree and just know there’s a job to be done and that’s the sum of parts. It’s not just about me, it’s about the team as well.”

The victory over Chinese Taipei – the reigning Premier12 champion and No. 2-ranked team in the world – is viewed by some as an upset for Australia. But that’s not how they see it.

“We really just built the belief that at any given day we can beat anyone in the world,” Perkins said. “Over a 162-game season in the Major Leagues that may not be the case, but one-on-one, we can do that.”

Australia relied on three left-handed pitchers who each tossed three shutout innings to get the victory. Former Orioles pitcher Alex Wells got the start and struck out six batters in his three scoreless frames, including five punchouts in a row to complete his outing, tying the third-best streak in Classic history.

After suffering a UCL sprain in 2022 and being released from the Orioles near the end of the season, Wells had fallen out of love with baseball and stepped away from the game until returning to pitch for the Australian Baseball League's Sydney Blue Sox in the winter of 2024. Suffice to say, he’s enjoying playing these days.

“To come back and play in the ABL and now be here on the Australian team, it's pretty cool,” Wells said earlier this week when Australia was training in Miyazaki, Japan. “I never thought I'd be back here, and I just wanted to enjoy the game again. And it's me enjoying the game that has brought me back here, so it's awesome.”

It also underscored the importance and talent level of Australia’s domestic baseball league.

“As far as the Australian Baseball League, it shows that for guys like him who are maybe finished overseas, it gives them a platform that they can still play on and prepare to play against the best players in the world in events like these,” Nilsson said.

While the Aussie pitchers kept Chinese Taipei off the board, the game got tight in the top of the ninth. Yu Chang reached base on a throwing error from third baseman Curtis Mead and former Guardians Minor Leaguer Kungkuan Giljegiljaw singled to bring up the tying run.

Lyle Lin then smoked a fly ball to center field that died a few steps in front of the wall for the second out. Jon Kennedy, who pitched the final three innings of the game, then used every inch of his 6-foot-8 frame to knock down Cheng-Yu Chang's comebacker to end the game.

“I think his height really came into play on the last out,” Nilsson said. “I don't know too many guys that would have been able to come up and get that.”

The loss puts Chinese Taipei’s backs against the wall, as ace Jo-Hsi Hsu’s four-inning start now goes to waste. Because he threw 53 pitches, he won’t be able to pitch again unless the team can advance to the quarterfinals in Miami. The team is also now worried about losing captain Chieh-Hsien Chen, who exited the game after being hit by a pitch. This comes after Tigers prospect Hao-Yu Lee and Cubs prospect Jonathan Long each had to drop out of the tournament with injuries in recent days.

Chinese Taipei will next face Japan, who it defeated for the Premier12 title, at 5 a.m. ET on Friday on FS1. That Japanese squad was missing MLB stars like Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki, though, so the challenge will be even more difficult.

“Tomorrow's game is going to be the big game, and Team Japan is probably the best team,” Chinese Taipei manager Hao-jiu Tseng said. “All I can say right now is we are going to put in all our effort for tomorrow's game.”

Australia next plays Czechia at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday on FS1.