World Baseball Classic: Australia 12, China 2
The surprising Australians gave themselves the inside track to advance out of Group B play with a runaway victory over the winless mainland China team in Tokyo.
Rixon Wingrove, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound first baseman who played last season in the Phillies organization, led the Australian offense. His first-inning bases-loaded double gave the Aussies a quick 3-0 boost that they never relinquished, and his infield hit during a five-run Australia fourth inning pushed another run across.
Robbie Glendinning, a Royals farmhand who had hit a pivotal three-run home run two nights ago to defeat Korea, contented himself with a two-run homer against China. It was Australia’s only four-bagger in a 12-hit attack amply supplemented by nine walks issued by China pitchers.
Outfielder Aaron Whitefield doubled, walked twice, scored three times, drove in two and stole a base … just because he could. Whitefield is a free agent with brief Major League experience for the Twins and Angels.
The winless Chinese, who dropped to 0-3 and were eliminated from advancement with the outcome, never got closer than three runs following Wingrove’s three-run first inning hit. First baseman Jie Cao, a newcomer to professional baseball competition, was the only China player to get two hits.