For the second time in six months, China’s baseball team has handed Taiwan a humiliating loss.
China — out to prove its first ever victory over Taiwan in Beijing this summer was no fluke — defeated a lethargic and unimpressive Taiwanese team 4-1, sending them home from the World Baseball Classic without a victory and just one run scored in two games. The loss came on the heels of a 9-0 embarrassment against Team Korea last night.
China’s well-managed, aggressive team outplayed Taiwan on all fronts yesterday, showing leadership, focus and poise. It is clear that China, propelled by excellent coaching with a clear strategic vision, are rapidly evolving from a charming novelty into a legitimate threat in world baseball.
Shortstop and team leader Ray Chang and DH Hou Fenglian drove China’s offensive attack with three hits each. Chang — who plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system — had a huge game. He homered and drove in two runs, including the eventual game-winner on a double in the bottom of the fifth inning.
China controlled the game from the onset, while Taiwan’s sputtering offense had no answer for China’s starter Liu Jiangang, who picked up the win with a solid performance against Taiwan’s pressing, often impatient bats. He held Taiwan to one run over five-and-a-third innings pitched.
Team China manager Terry Collins then made effective use of his team’s bullpen, using five relievers to keep Taiwan’s bats silent the rest of the way. Closer Chen Kun picked up the save.
As in their previous night’s loss to South Korea, Taiwan were hindered by sloppy middle infield defense that cost the team significantly. Slow reactions to ground balls resulted in a number of infield hits for China. Second baseman Chiang Chih-hsien — whose abilities seem better suited for a corner outfield role than a second baseman’s — visibly struggled for the second straight game.
A lack of clutch hitting also factored heavily Taiwan’s struggles. The team left nine men on base in the game, including five runners in scoring position.
Starting pitcher Lin Yueh-ping took the loss for Taiwan, giving up three runs in four-and-two-thirds innings of work. Star pitcher Pitcher Ni Fu-te — who entered the game with Taiwan already behind — gave up a solo home run to Ray Chang in the eighth inning for the game’s fourth run. Despite possibly being Taiwan’s only dependable pitcher, he saw his first action with the team already behind and gasping for air.
Taiwan’s second straight defeat at the hands of China — a team they are supposed to beat on paper, even when not at full strength — is sure to raise a number of difficult questions regarding the future of the national team. While the games’ results were disturbing, more disturbing was the marked lack of poise and leadership in the clubhouse and the team’s lack of focus and lethargic body language on the field.
What can account for the players’ lack of swagger and confidence during the teams’ losses? It may have been inexperience: The team looked unsure and intimidated in both games.
Only centerfielder Lin Che-hsuan and reliever Tseng Sung-wei in his limited mop-up role showed any fighting spirit or heart over the weekend.
Most importantly, what can Taiwan do to improve its national team? Once considered a force nearly on par with powerhouses Japan and South Korea, Taiwan are now a step behind the neophyte Chinese team despite an impressive array of young individual talent.
Unless these questions can be answered frankly and realistically, Taiwan baseball fans can count on more of the same in future international competitions — while its neighboring rivals continue to show marked improvement.
Later yesterday the mercy rule was employed after seven innings to end a 14-2 thrashing of South Korea by Japan. South Korea will play China tonight.
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