The Korean national baseball team suffered a shocking defeat against the Netherlands in the opening match of Pool B at the World Baseball Classic on Saturday with a 0-5 finish.

Korea struggled in all areas at the event in Taiwan, leading to its first defeat against any team but Japan at the WBC.

"It was a stunning shutout loss for Team Korea, which finished second in the 2009 Classic, as it struggled to convert runners on bases into runs and was also done in by subpar pitching and a disheveled defense," MLB.com wrote.

In order for Korea to advance to the second round, which will begin on Friday in Tokyo, it needs to be in the top two of Pool B. So, the team must win against Australia on Monday and again against Taiwan on Tuesday at the final game of the first round.

In the meantime, Taiwan picked up its second win in a row by beating the Netherlands 8-3 on Sunday. In Pool A, Japan came back from behind to beat Brazil 5-3 on Saturday, and Cuba beat Brazil 5-2 on Sunday.