Taiwanese pitcher Hu Chih-wei was the only player from Asia in Major League Baseball’s All-Star Futures Game in San Diego on Sunday, pitching an inning for the victorious World team.
Hu, who plays for the Tampa Bay Rays’ Double A minor league team, pitched a perfect fifth inning for the World, who were trailing 3-0 at the time.
The 22-year-old right-hander needed only eight pitches to retire the three batters he faced in order, notching two strikeouts in the process.
The World team, composed mostly of players from Canada and Latin America, came back to win the game 11-3, ending a six-game losing streak.
Hu described the comeback as “fantastic,” saying it was a “very special and meaningful game.”
He said he felt both nervous and excited when he was called in to pitch the fifth inning, and especially felt a lot of energy when he jogged out to the pitcher’s mound.
However, he told himself to concentrate and ended up getting batters out with his go-to pitches — a two-seam fastball and changeup.
In 15 appearances for his Double A team this year, Hu has a 2-6 record, but an ERA of 2.51.
The right-hander, who has played in the US since 2013, was the thirteenth Taiwanese player picked to play in the Futures Game, often a stepping stone to the major leagues.
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