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Australia to start KBO pitcher Wells in crucial game against Korea

Published: 09 Mar. 2026, 09:45

Lachlan Wells, fomerly of Kiwoom, pitches a ball during a match at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on June 25, 2025. [NEWS1]

Korean hitters will be up against a familiar face on the mound when they play Australia in a win-or-go-home game at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Monday.

Australia manager Dave Nilsson announced Sunday left-hander Lachlan Wells will get the ball against Korea in the teams' final Pool C game at Tokyo Dome. The first pitch is 7 p.m. Monday.

Wells pitched in four games in the KBO last year as a temporary injury replacement for the Kiwoom Heroes. He went 1-1 with a 3.15 ERA over 20 innings, recording 16 strikeouts against six walks.

Then over the offseason, he signed a full contract with the defending champions LG Twins as their Asian quota player.

"He's been in a position to start this game since the tournament began," Nilsson said, following Australia's 4-3 loss to Japan. "Pitching is lined up really well, and the guys are very healthy. If we can get through tomorrow, I think that's just the first step of something we're chasing."

With the top two nations from Pool C advancing to the quarterfinals, Japan, with a 3-0 record, has already grabbed one ticket. Australia (2-1), Korea (1-2) and Chinese Taipei (2-2) all have a chance to join Japan, depending on how the Australia-Korea game plays out.

In order to advance, Korea must beat Australia by these three scores in nine innings — 5-0, 6-1 or 7-2. If Australia scores three runs or more, it will still advance with a loss.

New LG Twins pitcher Lachlan Wells poses in the team's jacket after signing with the Korea Baseball Organization club on Nov. 18, 2025, in this file photo provided by the Twins. [LG TWINS]

Nilsson said, however, he won't worry about the number crunching.

"We're going to play the game to win," he said. "Obviously, there is some math to it but we're just going to play it to win."

Australia won the first two games of the tournament and then led Japan, world No. 1 and defending WBC champion, by 1-0 through six innings.

Japan rallied with two runs apiece in the seventh and eighth innings. Australia battled back with two solo homers in the top ninth but fell short of its third straight win that would have clinched a knockout ticket.

Nilsson said he was "very disappointed with the outcome" but he believes his team has the ability to shake off this loss.

"Obviously, there's a lot of emotions after tonight. We had an opportunity to win the pool," he said. "We'll take a while and then we'll flush that and then we'll be in a good position tomorrow. We came here really feeling good about our opportunity to get through the second round and we have that opportunity tomorrow. So I think we're in good shape."

Yonhap