Sports fans in Taiwan have embraced the return of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), but have recently complained about how games are scheduled, saying it is unfair to Taiwan’s team.
Taiwan is hosting Pool A — which also includes Cuba, Italy, the Netherlands and Panama — of the long-awaited fifth WBC competition, delayed from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan and the US are the other two host nations, with two teams from each of the four pools advancing to the quarter-finals, which start on March 15.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
Fans have vented on sports Web sites and in media reports, saying that the hosts are at a disadvantage in Pool A’s final games, as Taiwan are to play Italy at 7pm on Friday, the Netherlands at 7pm on Saturday and Cuba the following day at noon.
Fans are unhappy that Taiwan are playing on three consecutive days, but are more upset that Saturday’s night game is followed by a noon game on Sunday, which they said might lead to the hosts not getting enough rest.
Teams usually arrive at the ballpark at least three hours early to practice and talk with coaches before the start of the game, baseball experts said.
Taiwan has to face two top-rated teams, Cuba and the Netherlands, both of which have big-name stars and Major League Baseball (MLB) regulars.
Baseball is Taiwan’s most popular game, and the public have been starved of international action for some years due to COVID-19.
Taiwan is also only one of three WBC squads that are entirely made up of players born in that country. The team mainly consists of players from Chinese Professional Baseball League clubs, and the team’s only former MLB players are fielders Lin Tzu-wei (林子偉) and Yu Chang (張育成), and relief pitcher Lee Chen-chang (李振昌).
Taiwan’s head coach is Lin Yue-ping (林岳平), who managed the Uni-President Lions when they won the CPBL championship three years ago, while former New York Yankees player Wang Chien-ming (王建民) is the pitching coach.
The opening games start at the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium tomorrow, with the Netherlands facing Cuba at noon, and Taiwan taking on Panama at 7pm.
Taiwan have a rest day on Thursday, with the Netherlands taking on Panama at noon, and Cuba facing Italy at 7pm.
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