After a run-rule loss to Brazil on Tuesday in Tucson, Ariz., China is officially knocked out of World Baseball Classic Qualifier contention.
The team finished 0-3 and will finish in last place amongst the teams that played in Tucson this week.
What went wrong for China in their qualifying effort in Arizona?
Much like their recent game against Brazil, China began their run in Tucson in losing fashion by way of a run-rule against Germany.
The team took an early lead in the first inning. However, a six-run bottom of the seventh inning for Germany put the game on ice.
All in all, pitching was a struggle for China in the first game. Yicong Sun had a less-than-desirable relief outing when he went only 0.2 innings and gave up those six earned runs. Starting pitcher Yanlun Zhang was credited with the loss, and Germany scored four runs while he was on the mound.
During their next matchup, they lost again in a blowout against Colombia. China’s lineup was the issue in this game.
China only had three hits as a team, and that production came from just two players. China also struck out 11 times in that game, which resulted in an 8-1 loss.
In their most recent loss against Brazil, China got a bad start out of Xiang Wang. He gave up six earned runs to the Brazilians in the first inning and could not record an out before he exited.
In the third inning, China found themselves in a 9-1 deficit and did not recover.
A combination of bad relief outings, bad starts, and off-hitting days hurt China’s effort to qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
