The World Baseball Classic is nearing the halfway point of the first round, with Pool A play now wrapped and Pool B nearing completion. Three teams have already advanced to the second round: Japan, Israel, and the Netherlands. We’ll find out who else will join them soon, as Pool C and D action will kick off Thursday evening. 

Here’s a recap of the past 24 hours of WBC action.

Israel 4, Netherlands 2

The slipper continued to fit Israel, who completed first-round play by edging a previously undefeated Netherlands squad. Israel jumped out to a 3-0 lead, thanks in large part due to a large man -- erstwhile Oakland Athletics first baseman Nate Freiman, whose first-inning double 1. plated a run, 2. set up a fielder’s choice RBI, and 3. led to him later scoring on a single.

Freiman played a part in the game’s most memorable moment, though it had nothing to do with the score. Rather, the 6-foot-8 Freiman squared off against 7-foot-1 Loek Van Mil in what’s believed to be the tallest matchup in baseball history. Freiman won the clash of the giants, working a two-out walk:

Both of these teams will advance to the second round.

Korea 11, Chinese Tapei 8 (10 innings)

With Israel and the Netherlands taking first and second place in Pool A, teams Korea and Chinese Tapei clashed to see who would finish in third. The result was an extra-innings slugfest that saw Chinese Tapei rally from a six-run deficit to force extras. 

Korea scratched across a run in the 10th inning on a sacrifice fly, but they wouldn’t stop there. Taekyun Kim sealed the deal with a long two-run home run:

Kim’s home run was just the second of the game for either side, making the combined 19 runs all the more impressive. 

St. Louis Cardinals closer Seung Hwan Oh earned the victory by allowing one baserunner over two innings of work. Oh is, obviously, heading back to Cardinals camp to prepare for the regular season on a high note.

Australia 11, China 0 (eight innings)

There are a couple of kinds of blowouts -- those that see the lead established early, usually in a big inning or two; those that see the same occur, except later on; and those that see the runs sprinkled across multiple frames. Australia’s thumping of China was the latter, as they plated two runs apiece in the third and fourth innings, then tacked on three runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth.

Two members of Australia’s lineup finished with four runs batted in: shortstop James Beresford and first baseman Luke Hughes. If either name sounds familiar, it’s likely due to their time spent with the Minnesota Twins. Here’s Hughes opening the scoring with a two-run home run:

On the mound, former big-league lefty Travis Blackley allowed two hits in 4 2/3 innings. 

Australia will play Cuba on Thursday night. The winner will advance to the second round.

Upcoming schedule

Pool B will wrap up play over the ensuing 24 hours, with the winner of the Australia-Cuba game advancing to the second round. Meanwhile, Pools C and D begin play on Thursday night. Here’s what the next 24 hours hold for WBC action:

  • Pool C: Canada (0-0) vs. Dominican Republic (0-0) at 6pm ET on Thursday
  • Pool D: Mexico (0-0) vs. Italy (0-0) at 9pm ET on Thursday
  • Pool B: Australia (1-1) vs. Cuba (1-1) at 10pm ET on Thursday
  • Pool B: China (0-2) vs. Japan (2-0) at 5am ET on Friday

Here is the full WBC schedule. The Championship Game will be played March 22 at Dodger Stadium.