The masses — also known as the lovely, loyal SethStack enjoyers — have clamored for more watchlists over the past several months, and I am here to deliver. With the World Baseball Classic starting today, let’s get back into that watchlist groove by breaking down which games are set to take place across the world’s most prestigious international baseball tournament.
There is only one official WBC contest slated to take place today, so let’s start there. Chinese Taipei (or Taiwan for the uninitiated) will face Australia at 10 p.m. ET at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The game will be televised in the United States on FS1 and probably on some other channels across the world. What? You think I know the international broadcasting rights for the entire globe for this event? Who do you think I am?
For how much baseball talent resides in Taiwan, especially at the youth level — Chinese Taipei has won a whopping 18 Little League World Series titles — the nation has experienced little success in the World Baseball Classic. Its best finish is eighth, which it achieved in 2013. It didn’t even make it out of the group stage, which it hosted, in 2023. The country definitely has something to prove in Tokyo, though the road to prove people wrong is littered with potholes, the first of which being a pesky Australian squad.
On paper, Australia wouldn’t be tabbed as a country that’s humming with a love for baseball. For the most part, that’s true, but there is a significant love for the sport down under that’s sure to be unleashed at the 2026 WBC. In fact, the 2023 iteration showed just how much love for it is present when the Aussies surprisingly made it out of the group stage and were one run away from beating Cuba and advancing to the semifinals. This group is still considered a major underdog in Pool C, but don’t count out Australia solely on the basis of it being an odd hotbed for baseball talent.
Taiwan is scheduled to send RHP Jo Hsi Hsu to the mound as its starting pitcher. In 19 starts with the Wei Chuan Dragons of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, Hsu posted a 2.45 ERA over 114 innings of work. He struck out 120 and walked just 14. Despite his small frame, he is by far one of Taiwan’s most impressive arms, with his fastball reaching the upper 90s. He pairs that with an excellent splitter that gets hitters off balance and makes those who attempt to swing look silly. He was good enough to attract some interest from MLB teams this past offseason, but he will instead be taking his talents to Japan for the 2026 campaign. He should be a fun watch tonight in Tokyo.
Opposite Hsu will be Australian hurler Alexander Wells. Wells is a former major leaguer with the Baltimore Orioles from 2021-22, though his time stateside was pretty unmemorable. He posted a 6.60 ERA over 46 1/3 innings in the big leagues before injuries sent his career into the bin. He picked baseball back up in 2024 with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League, where he has been one of the best pitchers in the league for two straight seasons. It’s now time for him to use those talents to try to lead Australia to a victory in the country’s opening game against Chinese Taipei.
