Taiwan face tough battles for three straight days starting tomorrow in Group B of the Premier 12 tournament, hosting Japan, Venezuela and Puerto Rico as they chase a berth at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Taiwan have an all-star line-up from the nation’s professional clubs and players plying their trade in Japan and the US, although there are concerns regarding the depleted pitching staff.
Head coach Hong Yi-chung is expected to use Lamigo’s Chen Yu-hsun and Chen Hong-wen of the Fubon Guardians in late-innings situations, although there are questions over their consistency this season.
Hong will likely look to three overseas-based pitchers in his starting rotation: Chiang Shao-ching, a 3A player with Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians, Chang Yi at Japan’s Orix Buffaloes and Hu Chih-wei, a 2A player with the MLB’s Chicago Cubs.
Hong, manager of this year’s CPBL championship-winning Lamigo Monkeys, has other options as starters, including Liao Yi-chung of the Brothers and Chen Kuan-yu from the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, but he will not have veteran left-hander Chen Wei-yin, who is pitching for the MLB’s Florida Marlins.
Premier 12 reached an understanding with US baseball officials that players active on the 40-man rosters at MLB teams would not be named in national squads.
There are other notable absences. Hong named several top Taiwanese pitchers, including top-rated closer C.C. Lee of the Brothers, Sung Chia-hao from the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan and Liu Chih-jung, the outstanding 20-year-old who excelled for Taiwan as they won the Asian Baseball Championship last month and is heading to the US after signing with the Boston Red Sox, but they cannot play due to injuries.
Hong has the power hitters from this year’s Taiwan Series, including league MVP Chu Yu-hsien from the Monkeys, who hit 30 home runs this season, and shortstop Lin Li and first baseman Chen Chun-hsiu, who finished one-two in batting averages this year.
“The players are still making adjustments, some are not batting so well and kept getting struck out,” Hong said yesterday. “They have to get used to foreign pitchers, who have different styles than what they normally face.”
“Our pitchers also need more time to get into their groove, as they have to adjust the different brand of baseball at this tournament,” he said.
Group B opens tomorrow with Japan playing Venezuela at 6pm in Taoyuan, while Taiwan host Puerto Rico at 6:30pm in Taichung.
Taiwan pitching coach Wang Chien-ming, a former New York Yankees pitcher, called on players to go all-out to win their opener.
“Taking the first game is very important,” Wang said. “Winning the opener boosts confidence.”
“We have more young players this time. They can only learn and grow through the stimulation of international competition,” he said. “A victory will bolster the team spirit and lift the enthusiasm of fans at the ballpark.”
On Wednesday, Japan face Puerto Rico at 6pm in Taoyuan, while Taiwan play Venezuela at 6:30pm in Taichung.
Taiwan beat Australia 7-1 in a warm-up game in Taichung last night.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
RSS