Australia's Travis Bazzana reacts after hitting a home run in the seventh inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Taiwan on March 5, 2026, at Tokyo Dome. (©Issei Kato/REUTERS)
Travis Bazzana, the first Australian to be selected No 1 overall in Major League Baseball's draft, is showcasing his talent at the World Baseball Classic.
Bazzana is hoping his performance in this year's WBC will be a springboard to making his MLB debut this season for the Cleveland Guardians, who made the 23-year-old infielder the first overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Bazzana crushed a solo home run in the seventh inning at Tokyo Dome on Thursday, March 5 as Australia defeated Taiwan 3-0 in the Pool C opener before a crowd of 40,523.
It was the type of game that both Bazzana and the Guardians hope will be repeated many times when he reaches Major League Baseball.
After hitting a single in his second at-bat, Bazzana connected for a 383-foot (117-meter) homer into the right-field stands.
"It's a great experience," the 23-year-old Bazzana said. "I will cherish these games in Tokyo Dome for the rest of my life and I hope to play in similar environments whether it's here again or in playoff baseball in America in the future. That would be incredible. I love playing here and I hope to experience many more baseball games like that."
Australia's manager Dave Nilsson, who played in both MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball, praised his young second baseman.
"I can say to a man, everyone in the dugout is really pleased for Travis personally," Nilsson said. "But we are more pleased for the outcome of the game. It was a big run in that seventh inning when he hit it, it really gave us that extra bit of breathing room."
Nilson then said, "He had a great night, had a couple of hits, played solid defense so I am really happy for him."
Enjoying the Atmosphere in Tokyo
Bazzana said Tokyo Dome is a place he's always dreamed about playing in.
"When I was younger, Team Australia was playing in the Tokyo Dome for tournaments such the Premier12 and the World Baseball Classic," he recalled. "So I had vivid memories watching the team and I obviously know how fans in Japan, and the baseball culture in Japan impact this environment so it's a special one."
Even though Australia was the home team, it felt much more like a road game for the Aussies as Tokyo Dome was packed with Taiwanese fans who were raucous most of the game but fell silent when Bazzana hit his homer.
"It was a weird feeling when I hit the home run the crowd went very quiet," Bazzana said.
He added, "It was strange, my mind didn't know what to think because I was expecting a cheer but it was so quiet, lots of fans in the crowd, lots of emotion, but we kept it steady."
Bazzana also made a solid defensive play at second base, ranging far to his left to stop a sharply hit grounder and help his teammates keep Taiwan off the scoreboard.
Getting to Know Travis Bazzana
A college star at Oregon State University, Bazzana made it to Triple-A Columbus for 26 games during the 2025 season. Across multiple minor league levels, he batted .245 with 17 doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 12 steals.
He suffered a left oblique strain last year, which limited the number of games he played in. Bazzana will likely open 2026 in Triple-A but performances like the one on Thursday will speed up his promotion to Cleveland.
Info on the WBC
Each pool in the WBC ― Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami ― features five teams playing in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals. And the teams that advance from Tokyo will go to Miami.
The winners of the quarterfinal games will then meet in Miami for the semifinals and championship round. On March 17, the championship game will be held.
Australia also beat the Czech Republic 5-1 and is on the brink of advancing out of the preliminary round for the first time.
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