SWINGERS
At the plate, battle-tested veterans Peng Cheng-ming of the CPBL’s Brother Elephants, the Hanshin Tigers’ Lin Wei-chu and US minor leaguers Lin Che-hsuan and Chiang Chih-hsien will likely provide much of the firepower.
If Taiwan has anything going for it, it may be the tournament’s double elimination format.
In Pool A, comprising Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China, the first two teams to lose two games will be eliminated, with the remaining two teams advancing to the quarter-finals in the US.
Taiwan could conceivably lose to South Korea on Friday, beat China on Saturday and face South Korea again on Sunday in a game to determine who will go on to play in the US.
In other words, two strong pitching performances could send Taiwan through without having to face Japan.
WARMUPS
Taiwan played an exhibition game against Japan’s Yomiuri Giants yesterday and play the Seibu Lions today in an attempt to get acclimated to the slick artificial surface of the Tokyo Dome and see which of its young pitchers, most of whom are 24 or younger, look ready. The Giants beat Taiwan 7-6.
Last week, Yeh paraphrased the words of baseball’s all-time home run king Sadaharu Oh in promising that his team would stand up to the tough competition.
“As long as the team has a sliver of hope, it will take advantage of every opportunity and not give up easily,” he said.
The reality for Yeh, however, is that his young roster, devoid of some of the country’s top players, may simply lack the arms and the gloves to give that never-say-die will full expression.
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