TTAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan put its unbeaten streak on the line as it played Japan in the championship round of the U18 World Baseball World Cup at Tianmu Stadium on Sunday evening (Sept. 10).
In the first inning, Chiu Hsin (邱鑫) led off with a base hit and later scored the first run off a hit by teammate Ko Ching-hsien (柯敬賢). putting Taiwan ahead 1-0. Taiwan’s starting pitcher, Sun Yi-lei (孫易磊), pitched well largely keeping Japanese batters off balance, per CNA.
His counterpart, Japan's left-handed starter, Maeda Yugo, also settled into a rhythm, turning the game into a pitcher’s battle. This led Japan to switch to "small ball" tactics like bunting and stealing to get runners into scoring positions.
A tightly-fought contest goes down to the wire. (CNA photo)
In the top of the fourth, the strategy worked with Japan's Takanaka Kazuki executing a bunt with runners on first and third, leading to an errant throw by Taiwan, which put Japan up 2-1. With Meada staked to the slimmest of margins, his command was flawless for the rest of the game, pitching a complete game over seven innings and never putting Japan’s lead at risk.
In the end, Japan won 2-1. The defeat handed Taiwan's first loss in the week-long tournament, also the team’s second consecutive runner-up finish in the biennial U18 Baseball World Series, (the 2021 edition was postponed to 2022 due to COVID).
"Japan’s small ball worked, and we were prepared. Though our players were depressed after the loss, everyone played well and did outstanding," said Taiwan manager Wu Po-hung (吳柏宏) after the game.
Taiwan players are tearful after the loss. (CNA photo)
Taiwanese players were emotional after the game, with reliever Lin Wei-en (林維恩) sobbing on the field. Wu praised the support of the 10,000 fans who filled Tianmu Stadium for the final game. He also praised players who had been training since June.
Wu praised Japan’s Maeda for his combination of fastballs and changeups, which disrupted the rhythm of Taiwan's hitters. "Our batters made good contact but were just unlucky with too many baseballs being easily fielded" said Wu.
Earlier on Sunday (Sept. 10), South Korea won the bronze medal match against the U.S. by a score of 4-0. Korean ace Kim Tae-kyeon was virtually unhittable in a shutout defeat of the defending champion U.S. team.
Kim went the distance, tossing a majority of strikes and surrendering only two hits and a walk while striking out nine batters. South Korea won its fourth bronze medal.
Taiwan has won the U-18 Baseball World Cup championships in 1983, 2010, and 2019.
