The first group of World Baseball Classic Qualifiers games in Taipei, Taiwan, did not disappoint. The round-robin style tournament delivered many memorable moments en route to Chinese Taipei and Nicaragua, officially punching their tickets to the World Baseball Classic. Here are the top three moments from Taipei.
3. South Africa pulls off a hidden ball trick against Nicaragua
South Africa almost started off the tournament with a shocking upset of Nicaragua. Although they lost the contest on a 10th-inning walk-off, they pulled off a hidden ball trick that showcased just how electric the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers can be. South African third baseman faked handing the ball to pitcher Justin Erasmus and tagged out baserunner Freddy Zamora in a tie game in the bottom of the seventh inning.
THE HIDDEN BALL TRICK WORKS TO PERFECTION ????#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/8782a1jXNI
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 21, 2025
2. Nicaragua walks off Spain
Nicaragua went undefeated in the Taipei Qualifiers, but to say it was easy would not be fair. They walked off South Africa in the first game and followed it up with a 10th-inning walk-off against Spain. With the bases loaded and just one out, Benjamin Alegria hit a deep single to win the game. His play was so electric he almost forgot to touch first base in the heat of his celebration.
Team Nicaragua walks it off for the second straight game and Benjamin Alegria's reaction was ELECTRIC ⚡️ #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/tyGyQ6vqhR
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 22, 2025
1. Spain upsets Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei had high expectations as the hosts, having won the Premier12 last year. However, Spain started the tournament by giving them a wake-up call. Not only did Spain beat them, but they embarrassed them in their home stadium 12-5. Spain had 15 hits, four of which were extra-base hits.
