Australia’s World Baseball Classic underdog story is over.
Instead, Korea survived by the skin of its teeth.
Australia’s run ended Monday with its 7-2 loss to Korea. Though the teams had identical 2-2 records, Korea advanced to the quarterfinals because it allowed fewer runs across the four games.
However, if Australia had just scored one more run, it would be moving on instead.
Korea got the final run it needed in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly to center by Hyun Min Ahn. Bo Gyeong Moon also pitched in four RBIs in the matchup, including a two-run dinger to get the scoring started in the second.
Australia started its WBC run hot with wins over Chinese Taipei and Czechia.
It defeated Chinese Taipei, 3-0, in its first game, backed by homers from Robbie Perkins and former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana.
Versus Czechia, Curtis Mead’s three-run dinger helped it cruise by with a 5-1 victory.
But in its final two games against Japan and Korea, Australia fell flat. It nearly came back in the ninth to stun Japan but ultimately lost, 4-3, before falling to Korea on Monday.
Japan and Korea are now Pool C’s two quarterfinals representatives, and this advancement marks Korea’s first time moving on since 2009.
In its four games, Australia batted .230 with a .744 OPS and seven home runs. Its pitchers also produced a 2.83 ERA, good for eighth of the 20 teams. But it still wasn’t enough to advance.
Across pool play thus far, eight teams are undefeated, including Mexico, Italy and the United States in Pool B. No other teams have clinched spots in the quarterfinals yet, as pool play wraps up Wednesday.
Colombia and Nicaragua, both sitting at 0-3, have been eliminated. The quarterfinals begin Friday with Korea versus the winner of Pool D — likely the Dominican Republic.
Japan is vying for its second straight WBC title after winning it all in 2023.
The U.S. — runners up three years ago — also looks to add its second championship in three tries.
