Taiwan face tough battles for three straight days starting tomorrow in Group B of the Premier 12 tournament, hosting Japan, Venezuela and Puerto Rico as they chase a berth at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Taiwan have an all-star line-up from the nation’s professional clubs and players plying their trade in Japan and the US, although there are concerns regarding the depleted pitching staff.
Head coach Hong Yi-chung is expected to use Lamigo’s Chen Yu-hsun and Chen Hong-wen of the Fubon Guardians in late-innings situations, although there are questions over their consistency this season.
Hong will likely look to three overseas-based pitchers in his starting rotation: Chiang Shao-ching, a 3A player with Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians, Chang Yi at Japan’s Orix Buffaloes and Hu Chih-wei, a 2A player with the MLB’s Chicago Cubs.
Hong, manager of this year’s CPBL championship-winning Lamigo Monkeys, has other options as starters, including Liao Yi-chung of the Brothers and Chen Kuan-yu from the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, but he will not have veteran left-hander Chen Wei-yin, who is pitching for the MLB’s Florida Marlins.
Premier 12 reached an understanding with US baseball officials that players active on the 40-man rosters at MLB teams would not be named in national squads.
There are other notable absences. Hong named several top Taiwanese pitchers, including top-rated closer C.C. Lee of the Brothers, Sung Chia-hao from the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan and Liu Chih-jung, the outstanding 20-year-old who excelled for Taiwan as they won the Asian Baseball Championship last month and is heading to the US after signing with the Boston Red Sox, but they cannot play due to injuries.
Hong has the power hitters from this year’s Taiwan Series, including league MVP Chu Yu-hsien from the Monkeys, who hit 30 home runs this season, and shortstop Lin Li and first baseman Chen Chun-hsiu, who finished one-two in batting averages this year.
“The players are still making adjustments, some are not batting so well and kept getting struck out,” Hong said yesterday. “They have to get used to foreign pitchers, who have different styles than what they normally face.”
“Our pitchers also need more time to get into their groove, as they have to adjust the different brand of baseball at this tournament,” he said.
Group B opens tomorrow with Japan playing Venezuela at 6pm in Taoyuan, while Taiwan host Puerto Rico at 6:30pm in Taichung.
Taiwan pitching coach Wang Chien-ming, a former New York Yankees pitcher, called on players to go all-out to win their opener.
“Taking the first game is very important,” Wang said. “Winning the opener boosts confidence.”
“We have more young players this time. They can only learn and grow through the stimulation of international competition,” he said. “A victory will bolster the team spirit and lift the enthusiasm of fans at the ballpark.”
On Wednesday, Japan face Puerto Rico at 6pm in Taoyuan, while Taiwan play Venezuela at 6:30pm in Taichung.
Taiwan beat Australia 7-1 in a warm-up game in Taichung last night.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
RSS