Taipei: Taiwan is nurturing high hopes for its national men's baseball team advancing to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinals after a crucial 5-4 win over South Korea in an intense extra-inning match at the Tokyo Dome.

According to Focus Taiwan, the victory was bolstered by three home runs - Yu Chang and Cheng Tsung-che each hitting solo shots, and Stuart Fairchild delivering a two-run homer. This win marks a significant achievement for Team Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, as it provides their second victory in the five-team Group C. Only the top two finishers from this group will move forward to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida.

The game, tied at four in regular innings, saw Taiwan score a critical run in the top of the 10th inning to secure a 5-4 lead. Closer Tseng Jyun-yue then secured the victory with three swift outs, marking Taiwan's first triumph over South Korea in WBC history after four previous losses.

In a post-game interview, Manager Tseng Hao-jiu praised the team for their collective efforts and focus, emphasizing the importance of not making mistakes in such a high-stakes game. Prior to this match, Taiwan needed a win against South Korea and hoped for Japan to defeat Australia, setting the stage for a tiebreaker scenario favorable to Taiwan.

Despite the uncertainty of advancing to the Miami games, Tseng expressed confidence that the team had performed at its best and awaited the outcomes of remaining matches. In the game, Yu Chang's solo home run initially gave Taiwan a lead, while ace starter Gu Lin Ruei-yang delivered four scoreless innings before being relieved.

The game saw Taiwan and South Korea exchanging leads, with Cheng Tsung-che and Stuart Fairchild contributing crucial home runs for Taiwan. Entering the extra inning, team captain Chen Chieh-hsien, returning from an injury, scored the winning run following strategic bunts.

Gu Lin, reflecting on his performance, emphasized his competitive spirit against Team Korea, while Fairchild expressed gratitude for the support from fans, which fueled the team's energy throughout the game.