“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.”
Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory.
Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level.
Photo: CNA
Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players and an all-world team outfielder.
However, Chen came a long way in his career before establishing his name at the WBSC’s flagship tournament and earning recognition for his big smile.
Chen, whose father was an elementary-school baseball coach, joined Kyoei High School in Japan’s Okayama Prefecture in 2012 as a third baseman. After graduation, he declared for the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) draft, but he was not picked up and he returned to Taiwan due to family circumstances.
Chen began his professional career in Taiwan’s corporate league, the country’s top amateur baseball league, before the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in 2016 selected him in the CPBL’s mid-season draft.
Chen has recorded 1,092 hits, 386 RBIs and a .343 batting average in 831 games across nine seasons.
The player overlooked in Japan 12 years ago led the CPBL in hits for two seasons, earning all-CPBL honors seven times (two as shortstop and five as an outfielder) and winning three Gold Glove awards.
Despite all the personal ups and downs, his return to Japan felt less like revenge and more like gratitude for the lessons he had learned there.
“What I learned from Japanese baseball was their attitude — their commitment, focus and teamwork from the first pitch to the final out,” Chen said.
After his performance in the Premier12, some Japanese fans have asked why he was not drafted in the NPB.
That question no longer matters.
On Sunday, Chen’s three-run homer off Yomiuri Giants ace Shosei Togo on the NPB powerhouse’s home turf was more than a victory — it was a symbolic break through the Samurai Japan barrier, a wall many in Taiwan believed insurmountable.
Taiwan’s success on the international stage has elevated Chen to unprecedented status.
Videoland Sports anchor Jacky Bing-sheng Lee called Chen “the face of Taiwan baseball.”
“As Taiwan’s captain, Chieh-hsien is flawless on and off the field,” Lee said, citing Chen’s willingness to represent his teammates in front of the media.
A true leader in the MLB is not necessarily the most experienced player, but someone willing to speak up for the team and take responsibility, he said.
“After participating in several international tournaments over the years, I believe Chen’s impact on Team Taiwan and Taiwan baseball surpasses that of legends such as [Peng Cheng- min] and [Cheng Chin-feng], with all due respect to them. After all, Chen [Chieh-hsien] led the team to its first championship in a major tournament,” he added.
WBSC commentator Ryan Chen echoed the sentiment, saying that Chen Chieh-hsien has become the face of Taiwan baseball “starting from this Premier12.”
Citing Chen Chieh-hsien’s role as head of the Taiwan Professional Baseball Players Association and captain of the Lions, which in 2020 won the Taiwan Series, Ryan Chen said Chen Chieh-hsien has “a certain level of extroversion and publicity [that] is needed to connect with the fans.”
“From the [CTBC] Brothers’ pregame huddles to the Uni-Lions’ home-run dances, Chen exemplifies players who not only perform, but also embrace the spotlight,” he said.
Those characteristics distinguished him from other former CPBL icons such as Peng and Chou Szu-chi, he added.
When asked about his emotional journey after the game, Chen Chieh-hsien said he had been under immense stress.
In a post-game interview, he struggled to hold back tears as he talk about his family.
“In September, I told my wife I wanted to win the [CPBL] MVP as her birthday gift, but I could not. Now, I want to tell her: ‘This championship is for you. Thank you, and I love you,’” he said.
He also mentioned his late parents.
“I want to thank my parents above. Your son is proud. I hope you saw this from up there,” Chen Chieh-hsien said.
After Taiwan in March last year failed to advance from Group A of the World Baseball Classic, he said that it was “quite stressful to put on [Taiwan’s] jersey,” adding that the team had let fans down.
His outstanding performance at the Premier12 has also attracted media attention in Japan and the US.
“Chieh-hsien Chen can play in the major leagues right now. He is an international star,” MLB Network commentator Jon Morosi wrote on X after Chen Chieh-hsien’s game-winning three-run homer.
Although Morosi asked Chen Chieh-hsien if he aspired to join the MLB, the rising Taiwan star made it clear that his future is in the CPBL.
“If I were younger, I would definitely make that my goal, to reach [the MLB] and make Taiwan proud,” Morosi quoted Chen Chieh-hsien as saying.
At 30 years old, Chen Chieh-hsien’s response suggests that Taiwan baseball fans can look forward to many more years of the center fielder. Their continued support would be the best reward for him and his teammates.
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