Winning it all in a short international baseball tournament is not easy. It requires a combination of good performance, avoid serious injuries, good planning to keep your team rested and even a little bit of luck, in addition to being able to perform in the clutch moments.
Chinese Taipei put all that together to win the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS, but they were especially able to win in two key moments that helped them build their way to the final against Japan.
A big rivalry, the first game in a brand new venue at a major international event, a fully-packed crowd and everyone supposing that the result of the game would have implications for one of the teams qualified for the Super Round since everyone expected the reigning champion Japan to take the other. Pressure? For sure.
But this team proved from the second inning of the first game that they were on a mission. Chinese Taipei scored six times against Korea’s starting pitcher Youngpyo Ko and never looked back.
Chen “Bros,” Chen-Wei and Chieh-Hsien homered, both with two outs, talking about turning up at clutch moments, plating four and two runs respectively, to turn a high-pressure game into a madness for the team and the local fans.
As everyone expected, this game was the difference between Chinese Taipei (4-1) and Korea (3-2) to capture the second spot for the Super Round after Japan's unbeaten run in Group B.
Now, let’s talk about pressure again. After opening the Super Round with a painful 2-0 loss against Venezuela, Chinese Taipei was against USA in a must-win situation, and winning wasn’t something common for the Asian team against the North American powerhouse.
It was a one-run game until Taipei’s offence exploded in the 7th with five runs. A clutch 3-RBI triple by Kun-Yu Chiang, was the key moment of the inning, the game and probably the tournament for Chinese Taipei.
But it wasn't not just the offence that was key in this game. Taipei’s bullpen closed the door for the USA offence, accepting just two hits and not allowing runs from the sixth inning.
Destiny’s last wink to Chinese Taipei happened on the last day of the Super Round when USA defeated Venezuela, securing their spot in the final against Japan. You already know the rest, as Chinese Taipei went on to create history.
