Taiwan wins 21U Baseball World Cup in Taichung

2014-11-18

Taiwan claimed the inaugural under-21 Baseball World Cup Nov. 16 in Taichung City, sweeping Japan 9-0 before an ecstatic hometown crowd.

The victory was particularly impressive as Taiwan had fallen 2-6 to previously undefeated Japan two days before. It was the first world title for Taiwan since the host nation won the 12U Baseball World Cup in 2011.

Pitcher Kuo Chun-lin led the charge for Taiwan, following up on his pivotal performance against South Korea earlier in the tournament. The outing was his last as an amateur as he recently signed a contract to play for the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Taiwan’s coach Kuo Lee Chien-fu said the pitcher, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, was “fabulous,” finishing seven innings with six strikeouts and four nonscoring hits. “Kuo was the team’s stabilizing factor, with the other boys repaying his pitching with superb hitting.”

The bulk of the team’s 13 hits came from Yang Tai-chun, four, and Lee Tsung-hsien and Wang Po-jung, two apiece.

Catcher Lin Chih-hsien said Kuo Lee motivated the team to believe in its abilities and go for broke. “His positive thinking definitely helped us win the game.”

In response, the coach said he tried to employ a paternal approach to managing the team. “I treated the players as my own boys and talked to them like friends.”

Impressed by the team’s outstanding performance, Chinese Taipei Baseball Association said it is seriously considering appointing Kuo Lee to coach Taiwan’s team at the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=224044&ctNode=445)