Aussies improve to 2-0 at Classic after topping Czechia

TOKYO – When Curtis Mead was growing up, his father, Tim – himself an Australian Baseball League player – tried to push him toward Australian Rules Football. Coming from Australia, a country not traditionally known for its baseball, his father thought a career in the Australian Football League was a safer bet.

All of the nation is glad Curtis chose baseball instead. On Friday afternoon inside Tokyo Dome, Mead’s three-run home run in the third inning gave Australia a lead it would never relinquish in its 5-1 victory against Czechia.

“I obviously played baseball and started playing baseball because of him, but I think he was honestly, probably trying to push me a little bit more towards the AFL, just because in his mind, the AFL was more attainable than going to America and playing in the Major Leagues," Mead said. "And obviously, playing in the ABL is an awesome accomplishment, but it doesn't pay the bills like the AFL does.”

That Mead, who was traded from the Rays to the White Sox at the Trade Deadline last season, got a chance to hit the three-run shot was due to the Czechs’ inability to turn what would have been an inning-ending double play, first baseman Martin Mužík missing the throw to complete it. With the inning extended, Travis Bazzana then walked to bring Mead up to the plate. Given the extra out, Mead made Czechia pay.

“Today, we had seven scoreless innings,” Czechia manager Pavel Chadim said. “We were close to having eight scoreless innings if we had just that one catch at first. We didn’t have a double play, and without that double play, you don't have such a big chance to win. That’s the best friend of a pitcher, and Tomáš Ondra needed this friend.”

While Mead has a few Australian records – he was the first Aussie-born player to record a hit or drive in a run in the postseason – he had never represented the Australian national team in any tournament until this year’s World Baseball Classic. He knows that there are plenty of people back home who were cheering for his big moment on the international stage.

“I actually haven't looked at my phone yet,” Mead said, “but I know there's a massive group of friends and family that are going to be watching. It is a special moment today. After going down one-nothing early, it felt like a big moment that one swing could shift the momentum back into our favor. I was fortunate enough to get a pitch out over the plate and didn't miss it.”

“I was really excited for him – all my guys, whenever somebody hits a home run, whenever someone has a big game,” Australia manager Dave Nilsson said. “It's very rewarding for the players, but also for the coaches and for the manager, just to see the work they put in. You always want to see your players get rewarded for that work, especially at this stage.”

While Czechia took an early 1-0 lead thanks to second baseman Vojtech Menšík’s sacrifice fly, it was Mužík’s bunt on a 3-0 pitch the batter before that put the runners into scoring position. With Mužík being one of the most powerful hitters in the lineup – he smashed the game-winning shot to beat China in 2023 and is sixth all-time in the Czech Extraliga in home runs – the trade for one run compared to a larger inning may have contributed to the defeat.

“It was my decision to [bunt] for the team, but I didn't want it on 3-0,” Chadim said. “3-0 was his decision.”

Australia added on runs with a ninth inning home run by Alex Hall – the first seven runs in this year’s tournament all came on long balls from the Aussies – and an RBI single from Robbie Perkins, who had also homered in Thursday’s game. Though it was a loss for the Czechs, they once again hung tough with their opponent who advanced to the quarterfinals in 2023 and are one win away from securing their spot this year.

“I don’t want to say that this game was super bad,” Chadim said. “We were close. I think it was an easy game for Australia, but I am proud that we showed that we are part of this tournament. It’s not easy to be amateurs, to be from Europe and play with the best guys in the world. If we continue [playing as we have in these first] two performances, I feel we have a chance.”

“I think the World Baseball Classic is such a great vehicle for international growth,” Nilsson said before the game. “There's kind of two different parts of this tournament. Obviously, the key players at MLB are promoting the game and their passion to play for their nations, but the second part is the smaller nations, which we were. It really gives the smaller nations an opportunity to grow and gives them a real vehicle where they can improve. 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.”

The global connection was on full display at Tokyo Dome. Many Japanese fans were wearing Czech Republic caps and holding up signs supporting Czechia’s players, with the two nations establishing a formal partnership thanks in part to former national team manager Hideki Kuriyama. (Chadim changed his number from 13 to Kuriyama’s 89 for this tournament.)

“Three years ago after WBC 2023, it was something amazing,” Chadim said. “We feel the support from Japan, from NPB, from Mr. Hideki Kuriyama. It's so, so nice, and we feel like a younger brother. We feel supported, we feel protected, and it has sped up our baseball [development.]”

Australia has also formed a partnership over the years with the city of Fuchu, located in the western part of Tokyo. The team trained there before the World Baseball Classic and held clinics with local schoolchildren. On Friday afternoon, hundreds of those students arrived at Tokyo Dome and cheered loudly for the Aussies.

“Our guys do such a great job of inspiring young kids,” Nilsson said. “We have 500 students or approximately that number coming out today to watch this game. We are excited about that. Hopefully they feel like we are helping them and hopefully we can inspire them.”