China’s landmark win over Taiwan in the group stage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics baseball competition was a game in which the best team beat the best talent, but Taiwan’s baseball prowess cannot be denied, a former manager of the Chinese national baseball team said on Tuesday in Taipei.
Jim Lefebvre, who led China to a thrilling 12-inning 8-7 win in Beijing — its first ever victory over Taiwan in major international baseball competition — said the game displayed the plain beauty of baseball because “that day the best talent did not win. That day the best team won.”
Taiwan’s group stage loss to China did not affect the final placing as Taiwan ranked fifth out of eight teams and China finished in last place. However, the upset loss was still described by Taiwan’s fans as “heartbreaking,” “unbearable” and “a national disgrace.”
“But it was just our day ... I have no idea how we won,” Lefebvre said, drawing laughter from reporters.
Lefebvre, 68, recalled that Taiwan seemed to think it had sealed the game after taking a 2-0 lead. But the game went into extra innings and China scored five runs in the bottom the 12th inning after Taiwan scored four times in the top of the same inning.
According to Lefebvre, Taiwan let the game slip away because of some tactical and positioning mistakes late in the game.
Taiwan’s talent has always been impressive, but good talent doesn’t always guarantee a win, he said. He advised Taiwanese baseball players to learn “how to play the game hard and play it right.”
South Korea, the eventual gold medal winner in Beijing, showed dedication and commitment every time its players stepped into a ballpark and its “one-way training system” was consistent at every level, he said.
Given Taiwan’s passion for the game and its rich tradition in the sport, it is well-positioned to be successful internationally, he said. Local coaches have been doing exceptionally well in the Little League level by teaching the fundamentals, he said.
Lefebvre, who managed three Major League Baseball clubs from 1989 to 1999 and the Chinese national team from 2003 to 2008, held a six-day clinic in which he and another MLB coach Rick Dell trained 60 coaches from local high schools and senior-level teams.
The clinic is a part of Taiwan’s four-year Baseball Revival Program, which was set up after Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League was crippled by a major game-fixing scandal involving dozens of active and former players and coaches.
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