TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Asian Baseball Championship concludes on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. with Taiwan taking on Japan in the championship round held in Pingtan, China.

Taiwan will be seeking its first Asian Championship title since 2019. It will turn the ball over to starting pitcher 20-year-old Lin Sheng-en (林盛恩), a member of the Cincinnati Reds’ minor league system. In his last outing, he pitched four scoreless innings against Palestine, per CNA.

Taiwan seeks to avenge a 2–3 loss to Japan on Friday in the tournament’s Super Round. However, it was able to qualify for the championship by defeating China 4–0 on Saturday afternoon.

Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea all finished the tournament’s Super Round with a 2–1 record. After comparing performances against opponents, Taiwan and Japan advanced to the championship round.

Taiwan is putting its trust in Lin, who has been pitching in the US since the 2023 season. He was promoted to Single-A this year and plays as a two-way player. He was selected for the Taiwan team’s training camp for the World Baseball Classic Qualifying Tournament earlier this year but withdrew due to injury.

The Asian Baseball Championship is the main tournament for national baseball teams in Asia and is governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia. It has been held every two years since 1983 and functions as an Olympic qualifier.