TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) Sunday (Nov. 24) congratulated Taiwan's team on its historic WBSC Premier12 championship win.
Taiwan clinched its first win at a world-class national team-level baseball event by defeating Japan 4-0 in the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. Lai congratulated the team via video call to the team's manager Tseng Hao-ju (曾豪駒) and team captain and center fielder Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲), per Liberty Times.
Lai lauded the team for their performance, earning the country's first-ever world championship title and bringing glory to the nation. He praised the athletes for propelling Taiwan onto the global stage and demonstrating that Taiwan not only excels at semiconductors but also baseball.
Lai recalled how Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) hit a solo home run to center field in the top of the 5th inning. Later, with Chen Chen-wei (陳晨威) and Lin Li (林立) on base, Chen Chieh-hsien delivered a three-run homer to build a 4-0 lead that they never relinquished.
Lai announced that fighter jets would escort the team's plane on its return to Taiwan. In addition, a military honor guard will be deployed at the Presidential Office to welcome the team home.
A celebratory motorcade parade will also be held to celebrate the team's victory. Each player will receive a NT$7 million (US$215,000) bonus from the government.
Lai also called on Taiwanese businesses to offer red envelopes to each athlete as a token of appreciation for their outstanding performance and dedication to the country.
Lai expressed his admiration for the team by saying, “This game was truly spectacular and deeply inspiring. Thank you for such a wonderful performance for the country. Thank you for your hard work!”
On X, Lai congratulated the team. On Facebook, Lai pointed out that the last time Taiwan made it to the finals of a world-class national team-level baseball event was in the 1992 Summer Olympics, and this was the first time Taiwan captured the championship.
