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Number Eight -- World Cup Baseball

By Jules Quartly
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Dec 30, 2001, Page 5

Taiwan celebrates its third-place finish in the Baseball World Cup. TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO

Taiwan got its chance to host the prestigious Baseball World Cup and managed a respectable third place in what was designated the "year of baseball" by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

After years of diminishing returns for Taiwan's national game -- which had been hurt by match-fixing scandals -- fans flocked back to the stadia.

They were not disappointed.

Taiwan opened its account at Tienmu Stadium in Taipei with a 6-1 win against Italy in front of a capacity crowd of 10,000.

Other wins followed and Taiwan emerged from the qualifying games with just one loss, to earn a semifinal match-up against the US.

In many ways it was a bigger game than the final, with the public forking out up to NT$10,000 for a ticket.

Team USA was solid and eventually muted the home fans at Tienmu, after Taiwan made some elementary fielding mistakes and was shut down by some fine pitching.

The US earned the right to confront perennial world champions Cuba in the final while Taiwan had to play Japan for the bronze medal.

Japan had been an early favorite to win the tournament, but the home team upset the form book and Chen Ching-fong (陳金鋒) slammed a pair of home runs to lift Taiwan over its nemesis, while Chang Chih-chia (張誌家) allowed just one run.

The victory gave Taiwan third place in the tournament and the right to be called Asia's new baseball superpower.

Later the US took on the mighty Cubans in Tienmu. It was a 2-2 tie going into the eighth, when Cuba put its foot on the accelerator and blew the US out with three runs.

Team USA was unable to pull it back in the ninth and the final score was 5-3 to Cuba, giving the country its seventh straight world championship.
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