The final game of the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifier between No. 2 seed Spain and No. 3 seed Chinese Taipei starts at February 25 at 6 a.m. EST at Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan.
Spain, led by manager Nelson Prada, ended the pool round at 2-1. Their only loss came against Nicaragua on February 22 when Benjamin Alegria’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning decided the contest.
Chinese Taipei, managed by Hao-Jiu Tseng, went 1-2. Their sole win came against No. 4 seed South Africa, which lost 9-1 on February 22.
Chinese Taipei is ranked No. 2 in the world according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
The 28-man roster for Chinese Taipei includes 22 players from the Chinese Professional Baseball League, four minor leaguers affiliated with Major League Baseball organizations and two players from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
Spain is ranked at No. 24.
Spain’s 2025 WBCQ roster features 27 players born outside Spain – 10 from Venezuela, nine from the Dominican Republic, six from Cuba, one from Colombia and one from the United States. The roster includes athletes competing in professional leagues worldwide, MLB-affiliated minor leagues, independent leagues in the United States and Canada, and the División de Honor de Béisbol, operated by the Real Federación Española de Béisbol y Sófbol.
For WBCQ eligibility, players must satisfy requirements related to their birthplace, citizenship, legal residency, their parents’ birthplace and citizenship, passport or citizenship eligibility, and previous WBC participation.
Chinese Taipei will have Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang take the mound against Ramon Rosso in a winner-take-all game to secure a berth in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Pitching matchups for the final game of the World Baseball Classic Qualifier:
???????? Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang
???????? Ramón RossoOne of the top Taiwanese pitching prospects will get the ball in one of the most significant games in Taiwanese baseball history with WBC berth on the line pic.twitter.com/DzMDKeeEUK
— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) February 24, 2025
Spain’s offense punished opposing pitchers in three games of the 2025 WBCQ, posting a .327 average in 104 at-bats. The team scored 22 runs, recorded 34 hits – including four doubles and four home runs – and drove in 22 runs. They stole five bases but were caught twice, drew 19 walks and struck out 26 times, finishing with a .926 OPS.
Spain has chucked 27.1 innings, posting a 1.65 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and held opponents to .165 average. The staff has allowed 20 hits, five earned runs and two home runs, issuing 14 walks and one hit batter, while striking out 27
Chinese Taipei’s pitching staff has posted a 6.00 ERA in three games, throwing 27 innings, allowing 35 hits, 18 earned runs, one home run, four hit batters, seven walks, 27 strikeouts, a 1.56 WHIP, and opponents batting .307.
Chinese Taipei’s offense, in 108 at-bats, hit .287, scoring 14 runs, drilling 31 hits, eight doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI, 20 walks, 18 strikeouts, and a .861 OPS.
Players To Watch In Final Qualifier Game With Stats From All Three 2025 WBCQ At Taipei Dome
All the listed stats for the 2025 WBCQ are on World Baseball Classic.
Chinese Taipei
SS – Yu Chang – 3 G, .385/.467/.769, 13 AB, 2 R, 5 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
1B – Po-Hsuan Wang – 3 G, .583/.643/.667, 12 AB, 1 R, 7 H, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 2 BB, 3 K
RF – Cheng-Jui Sung – 3 G, .500/.556/.875, 8 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Spain
3B – Wander Encarnacion – 3 G, .364/.500/.364, 11 AB, 3 R, 4 H, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
1B – Jesus Ustariz – 3 G, .364/.533/.818, 11 AB, 4 R, 4 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K
2B – Carlos Colmenarez – 3 G, .400 /.538/.700, 10 AB, 3 R, 4 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB, 3 K
Pitcher Ramon Rosso
On February 21, Rosso came out of the bullpen against Chinese Taipei in the first game of the 2025 WBC and replaced starter Elian Leyva in their 12-5 win.
Rosso threw 3.1 innings against the Chinese Taipei offense, allowing one hit, one walk, and struck out seven batters.
The 28-year-old right-hander was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and last appeared in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2021 season after making his debut on July 24, 2020.
In his two seasons with Philadelphia, Rosso made 14 appearances and one start, posting a 0-1 record with a 6.11 ERA, throwing 17.2 innings, allowing 19 hits, 12 earned runs, three home runs, 11 walks, and 18 strikeouts.
Rosso was a free agent for the 2023 season and did not sign with a MLB organization after he was released by the Detroit Tigers on May 27, 2022.
During the 2024 season, Rosso played with the Piratas de Campeche and the Bravos de Leon of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.
He went 1-8 in Mexico and posted a 7.55 ERA, throwing 39.1 innings in 10 starts with one complete game, allowing 38 hits, 33 earned runs, seven home runs, 31 walks, and 35 strikeouts.
Rosso played in the 2024-25 winter league season with the Aguilas del Zulia in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional and with the Aguilas Cibaeñas in LIDOM.
Rosso was activated to the Aguilas Cibaenas roster on October 17, 2024 and appeared in one game out of the bullpen, throwing a ⅓ of an inning, allowing two earned runs, two walks, one strikeout and a 54.00 ERA before heading to Venezuela.
With the Aguilas del Zulia, Rosso made two appearances and started in two games, throwing 11 innings with a 2.45 ERA, allowing eight hits, three earned runs, two home runs, five walks, and 13 strikeouts.
In his eight seasons in the minor leagues, the majors, and the Caribbean winter leagues, Rosso has a lifetime record of 26-25 with a 3.67 ERA and has made 134 appearances with 90 starts, throwing one complete game, 490.1 innings, allowing 408 hits, 200 earned runs, 47 home runs, 206 walks, 525 strikeouts, and a 1.252 WHIP.
Spain last played in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 under former manager Mauro Mazzotti. Competing in Pool C at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Spain lost all three games to host nation Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Spain qualified for the 2013 WBC after going 2-2 in Pool 1 of the first qualifying event, securing a 9-7 victory over Israel on Sept. 23, 2012.
Spain did not qualify for the 2017 WBC, finishing 0-2 in Qualifier 3 at Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City, Panama, with losses to Colombia and France.
In the 2023 WBC Qualifiers, Spain competed at Armin-Wolf Arena in Regensburg, Germany, finishing 2-2 before losing 3-1 to the Czech Republic in the final qualifier on Sept. 21, 2022.
Spain’s 2025 WBCQ roster features many players from its 2023 European Baseball Championship (EBC) team, which competed in the Czech Republic from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2023.
Spain won its second-ever European Baseball Championship gold medal on Oct. 1, 2023, defeating Great Britain 11-2 to capture its first title since 1955.
Spain has the opportunity to be the sixth team in the 2026 WBC from the WBSC Europe sector with a win on Tuesday night.
The Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, Great Britain, and the Netherlands are all in the field for the 2026 WBC from the WBSC Europe sector.
Chinese Taipei on Sunday, February 23 played in front of 35,565 fans in their 6-0 loss against Nicaragua.
Chinese Taipei will have a sold-out crowd Tuesday night and hope not to be the first team ranked inside the Top-5 of the WBR to miss the WBC field, after beating Japan in the Premier12 tournament at the Tokyo Dome last November to end their 27-game international tournament winning streak.
Pitcher Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang competes against the tough Spain offense that troubled Chinese Taipei with 15 hits on February 21.
Zhuang has not yet pitched in the 2025 WBCQ. He has played in the minor leagues with the Athletics after signing a $500,000 free-agent contract during the international signing period on November 24, 2021, at age 21.
The 24-year-old right-hander has played in two minor league seasons—in 2022 and 2024—during his professional career with the Athletics.
Zhuang missed the 2023 regular season with the Athletics due to a right elbow injury and was not activated from the 60-day injured list until November 6, 2023, before returning to the organization when minor league camp began in March 2024.
In his two seasons in Low-A Stockton in 2022, and in Low-A Stockton, High-A Lansing, and Double-A Midland in 2024, Zhuang has a lifetime 6-6 record with a 2.95 ERA in 31 appearances (23 starts), throwing 128 innings, recording one save, allowing 110 hits, 42 earned runs, 14 home runs, 21 walks, 127 strikeouts, and a 1.023 WHIP.