Taiwan on Monday announced their final roster for next month’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), with general manager Lin Yueh-ping saying it was tough to leave some players off the team.
Pool A of the WBC start competing on March 8 in Taichung, with New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera to throw the opening pitch
Speaking after a news conference announcing the 30-man squad, Lin said that he felt sorry for the five players from the CPBL who trained with the team from Jan. 29, but were not selected.
Photo: CNA
“It’s extremely tough for players to accept not being chosen after participating in training. I can fully relate with how they feel,” said Lin, the CPBL record holder for most saves, adding that the decision “does not mean they are not good enough.”
He said his most difficult decision was not selecting right fielder Lin An-ko of the Uni-President Lions, where Lin Yueh-ping has been general manager since 2020.
“The concern was that I plan to start Lin Tzu-wei in right field, which means Lin An-ko would only be a pinch hitter,” he said.
Lin Tzu-wei, 28, played in the MLB for five seasons from 2017-2021, mainly playing second and third base, and occasionally the outfield.
The announcement came two days after pitching standout Chang Yi was forced to withdraw from the national team after being diagnosed with shoulder bursitis during spring training with Japan’s Saitama Seibu Lions.
Taiwan’s WBC roster of 14 pitchers, three catchers, eight infielders and five outfielders includes star former MLB player Yu Chang and CTBC Brothers’ third baseman Wang Wei-chen as captain.
“We have all the best talent in Taiwan in terms of their experience and the stages their careers are at,” Lin Yueh-ping said.
He has not yet finalized the starting lineup, he said, adding that he is still watching how players interact and perform in training.
“We are not afraid, we will work harder and we will keep striving to win, to get to face Japan and the US,” Wang, 31, said.
Taiwan and Cuba are to play a series of warm-up games against CPBL teams at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28, while official WBC warm-up games are to be held at Douliou Baseball Stadium in Yunlin County on March 5 and March 6.
Tickets can be purchased through tixCraft’s Web site.
Taiwan is in Pool A with Cuba, Italy, the Netherlands and Panama. Pool B in Tokyo consists of Australia, China, the Czech Republic, Japan and South Korea. The top two teams of the pools advance to the quarter-finals in Tokyo on March 15 and 16.
Canada, Colombia, Mexico, the UK and the US are competing in Pool C in Phoenix, Arizona, while the Dominican Republic, Israel, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are playing in Pool D in Miami, Florida.
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