In the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Korea faced a challenging match against Taiwan at the Tokyo Dome. The stadium was overflowing with fan support for Taiwan, with approximately 40,584 attendees, most of whom were Taiwanese fans, creating a home-field advantage that seemed to stifle the Korean lineup. Despite high expectations for their offense, Korea managed only four hits in the game, with Kim Do-young contributing two of those. As the game progressed, Korea struggled significantly, allowing Taiwan to dominate with seven hits, including three home runs.

Korea lost the match in a tense 10-inning extra time, finishing at 4-5, which now places them in a critical position ahead of their final group stage match against Australia. For Korea to advance to the quarterfinals, they must win against Australia by a margin of at least five runs while allowing no more than two runs in the game. This complex scenario arises from the potential three-way tie with Taiwan and Australia, all of whom could end with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses. The ranking in such cases would be determined by the 'minimum runs allowed' per out count, adding an extra layer of pressure to Korea's performance.

Historically, Korea has struggled defensively, allowing a total of eight home runs through their three games, with an average of 5.67 runs conceded. In their match against Taiwan, Korea's pitching staff, led by Ryu Hyun-jin, failed to capitalize on opportunities while facing Taiwanese pitchers, who performed convincingly with pitches clocking at speeds exceeding 156 km/h. The team's overall sluggish performance was partly attributed to fatigue, having played their previous game against Japan only a day before. As they prepare to face Australia, Korea must regroup and find ways to enhance their batting effectiveness and tighten their defense to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.