Spain’s hopes of making it to the World Classic have been dashed after a 6-3 loss to Taiwan, the second-ranked team in the world. This defeat comes as a disappointment, especially considering they had beaten Taiwan 5-12 in their opening match. As a result, Spain will not be participating in the most prestigious international baseball tournament, which is set to become an Olympic event in 2028.
After their initial win against Taiwan, the host team, Spain suffered a tough 1-2 loss to Nicaragua in extra innings. Although they still had a chance to qualify if Taiwan beat Nicaragua by a wide margin, it was the American team that ended up winning 6-0 against the Asian team. This made Spain’s subsequent 9-1 win against South Africa in the final group stage match essentially meaningless.
Despite Taiwan taking the lead in the fifth inning, Spain had a glimmer of hope with bases loaded in the seventh. However, pitcher Yi-Lei Sun proved unstoppable, striking out all the batters. For the Spanish team, the current European champions, this loss means they’ll have to wait longer to qualify for a tournament they’ve only been a part of once before, back in 2013.
