Pool play in the World Baseball Classic is well underway, and while some teams are off to fast starts as they try to play their way into the elimination-style tournament, others have already put themselves out of the race.
In fact, one team in particular is already set to be relegated from the WBC after losing its first three games — Team Czechia, which most recently suffered a 14–0 shutout loss to Chinese Taipei.
Czechia also dropped games to Korea and Australia, leaving the team firmly in last place in its pool despite having one game remaining in two days against Japan. That matchup could get fairly ugly considering Japan beat Chinese Taipei 13–0 on Friday.
By finishing in last place, Czechia will now have to enter a qualifying tournament for the next iteration of the WBC, which will likely take place in 2028. They’ll be joined by the other last-place teams from their respective pools.
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For Team Czechia, however, the journey to get here was quite special in its own right — especially after the team avoided relegation in 2023 by recording a win against China.
The roster features just one player with MLB experience: Terrin Vavra, who previously appeared in 68 games with the Baltimore Orioles. The rest of the team is made up of players with amateur or semi-pro backgrounds who hold regular day jobs in Czechia, making it all the more remarkable that they’re competing against some of the world’s best players.
“They’re in the toughest group by far. Even Australia is a top team,” one fan said.
Someone else added, “Tough break, but that’s the tournament. Rebuild and reload.”
Another person wrote, “They weren’t given a fair shake. If they qualify next time, they shouldn’t have to travel all the way to East Asia for the third time. There are enough European teams to have their own pool played in Europe.”
“Respect to Czechia. They always bring heart to the World Baseball Classic,” another fan commented.
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