Taiwan defeated Japan 6-1 at Taipei's Tianmu Stadium to clinch their first U-18 Asian Baseball Championship since 2007.
Team Taiwan, competing under the name "Chinese Taipei," managed to come from behind after Japan scored the game's first run with shortstop Yusei Ishizuka's RBI single in the opening frame, giving the visiting team an early 1-0 lead.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
The home squad first tied the game with outfielder Ko Ching-hsien's (柯敬賢) RBI triple to the left-center field before taking the 2-1 lead thanks to a sacrifice fly by Tseng Wei-che (曾偉喆) in the top of the third inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, Taiwan widened the gap to 3-1 following another sacrifice fly by Ko, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in June.
Taiwan added another three runs in the top of the sixth and seventh to give further cushion to the hosts, which lasted until the end of the game.
Yesterday's game, interrupted twice due to on-and-off heavy rain, also marks a sweet revenge for Taiwan against Japan.
The home team lost to visiting Japan 0-1 on Friday during the U-18 Baseball World Cup Asia Qualifier's Super Round match.
This year is the third time Taiwan has won the tournament, following victories in 2001 and 2007.
Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are the three teams dominating the tournament since its inception in 1994, with Japan and Korea both winning five titles and Taiwan four.
Earlier yesterday, Korea crushed the Philippines 8-0 to finish third in the eight-team tournament, which also featured Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka.
The tournament's top three finishers qualify for the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
RSS