The unexpected result came out first in Group A. Cuba and Italy advanced to the quarterfinals of the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The group stage of Group A, which was held in Taichung, Taiwan, was the first of all four groups on the night of the 12th. Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Panama were eliminated in the greatest match of all time.
In their final matches, Cuba defeated Chinese Taipei 7-1 and Italy defeated the Netherlands 7-1. As a result, all 5 teams recorded 2 wins and 2 losses.
In the first match of the group stage, which was considered the best two teams in Group A, the Netherlands started by beating Cuba 4-2. Panama, who reached the finals after 14 years, defeated Chinese Taipei 12-5 to win the first final in history, and Italy defeated Cuba 6-3, throwing the competition for the quarterfinals into chaos.
The Netherlands got off to a good start by beating Panama 3-1 and winning 2 wins first, but lost 5-9 to Chinese Taipei and had 2 wins and 1 loss. Taiwan, disgraced by Panama, beat Italy 11-7 to record 2 wins and 1 loss.
After beating Taiwan and losing to the Netherlands, Panama lost to Cuba 4-13 but beat Italy 2-0, finishing the group stage first with 2 wins and 2 losses.
If Taiwan and the Netherlands won each, they could have advanced to the quarterfinals as they were.
In this tournament, where the top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals, in case of a tie, the minimum run rate (sum of runs lost/defense out counts) is considered. As a result, Cuba, which conceded the fewest goals, dramatically took first place and Italy took second place.
The Netherlands, 스포츠토토 which defeated Korea one after another in 2013 and 2017, passed the first round and advanced to the semifinals, became the biggest victim of the incident. After winning two early matches and finishing first in the group, they lost a lot of runs to Chinese Taipei and Italy, finishing third in the group and failing to advance to the quarterfinals.
5th place in Group A is Taiwan. According to the rules of the tournament, where only the fourth place in each group automatically advances to the next tournament, Taiwan will have to go through the regional qualifiers for the 6th WBC, which will be held in 2026.
On the other hand, Italy, led by catcher Mike Piazza, who is in the Major League Hall of Fame, won against Cuba and the Netherlands, the strongest teams in Group A, and advanced to the quarterfinals, becoming the best ‘dark horse’ of this tournament.
