In what will go down as an all-time contest at the World Baseball Classic, Chinese Taipei narrowly defeated longtime adversary Korea on Sunday, when the former pulled off a 5-4 upset in extra innings to keep their hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals alive.
And, in a fabulous show of love and admiration for the hometown team, the crowd watching at home in Taiwan consequently went a bit wild after the thrilling victory, as seen in this video taken inside the country's biggest train station:
This was the reaction in Taiwan's biggest train station as the country's baseball team upset powerhouse Korea in extra innings to stay alive in the WBC 🇹🇼 pic.twitter.com/VMCzJezNkf
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 8, 2026
Prior to Sunday's tilt, Chinese Taipei had never defeated Korea in the WBC before. It was a win that brought the players to tears.
“I'll start by saying that was one of the most fun ballgames I've ever played in my life,” said Stuart Fairchild, who contributed to the team's victory with a two-run home run. “It was back and forth the entire way, went into extra innings, and then to come through at the end, and win by one, was remarkable.”
Chinese Taipei began the WBC with a 0-2 record. Now, they'll have the chance to advance beyond the group stage for only the second time in tournament history, per MLB.com's Michael Clair.
“At the end of the game, we played as one united, and finally we got the win,” mused team manager Hao-Jiu Tseng.
Will Chinese Taipei advance?
Ironically enough, Chinese Taipei will need Korea to win vs. Australia on Monday should the team hope to advance out of pool play. If that were to happen, it would force a three-way tie between Chinese Taipei, Korea and Australia, all of which would then be 2-2. The tie would then be broken in the following order of priority:
- The team that won the games between the teams tied shall be given the higher position. If three or more teams are tied and one of those teams won its games against all other teams it is tied with, then it will be placed in the higher spot. Similarly, if one of those tied teams lost its games against all other teams it is tied with, then it will be placed in the lowest spot.
- The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to the lowest quotient of fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games in that round between the teams tied.
- The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to the lowest quotient of fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games in that round between the teams tied.
- The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to the highest batting average in games in that round between the teams tied.
- Standings shall be determined by the drawing of lots, conducted by WBCI.
Also in Pool C is Japan, who have already clinched the top seed to advance to the quarterfinals, and Czechia, who have been eliminated after losing their first three pool games.
Full pool play standings
Here is a look at the full pool play standings as of 6:42 p.m. ET on March 8. As a reminder, the top two teams in each pool will advance to the quarterfinals.
Pool A—San Juan:
| Team | W | L | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Cuba | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Canada | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Panama | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Colombia (x) | 0 | 3 | .000 |
Pool B—Houston:
| Team | W | L | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| USA | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Brazil | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Great Britain (x) | 0 | 3 | .000 |
Pool C—Tokyo:
| Team | W | L | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan* | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0.667 |
| Chinese Taipei | 2 | 2 | 0.500 |
| Korea | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| Czechia (x) | 0 | 3 | .000 |
Pool D—Miami:
| Team | W | L | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Venezuela | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| Israel | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 2 | .000 |
* = advanced to quarterfinals
(x) = eliminated
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
- Korea Uses Complicated Chart, Routine Sacrifice Fly to Advance to WBC Quarterfinals
- Why Randy Arozarena Is Playing for Mexico at the World Baseball Classic
- Logan Gilbert: Constantly Evolving
- World Baseball Classic Extra Innings Rules Explained
- Tarik Skubal's Latest Move Adds to Speculation He Could Pitch in WBC Title Game
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Taiwan Train Station Erupted in Joy As Chinese Taipei Upset Korea for the First Time in WBC.
