The Taiwan team defeated Cuba 2-0 on the 18th in the World Baseball Classic and advanced to the final round with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss in Group B. President of the Republic of China, Lai Ching-te, congratulated the Taiwan team for making history by progressing to the semifinals at the Tokyo Dome. The first game of the final four will kick off on the 21st, urging the nation to come together to support the Taiwanese heroes as they continue to strive for victory in Tokyo.
The 2024 WBSC Premier 12 tournament is jointly hosted by Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan. The event features the top 12 teams in the year-end 2023 World Baseball and Softball Confederation rankings, and will run for 15 days from November 10th to 24th. Taiwan’s advancement to the final four allows them to compete at the Tokyo Dome. Today (19th), the Taiwan team, Japan team, and Australia team flew to Japan on CI104 China Airlines charter flight coordinated by the WBSC.
President Lai congratulated Team Taiwan on advancing to the final four of the 2024 World Baseball Classic, marking a new chapter in the team’s history and moving towards the championship in Tokyo. He thanked all the Taiwanese heroes for providing exhilarating matches for the public. In the first Group B match against South Korea on the 13th, Chen Chen-wei and Chen Chieh-hsien delivered outstanding performances, securing the first victory. The following day, pitcher Huang Tzu-peng pitched 6 stellar innings with 4 strikeouts and no earned runs to defeat the Dominican Republic.
Despite losing to Japan in the third game, the competitive spirit of both teams fighting until the last out embodies the essence of baseball surpassing mere victory or defeat. Taiwan bounced back the next day with a strong offensive lineup, securing 11 runs with 15 hits to defeat Australia for their third victory. On the evening of the 10th, the starting lineup made a huge impact, followed by a dominant bullpen performance to shut out Cuba 2-0 for their fourth win. The first game of the semi-finals at the Tokyo Dome will start on the 21st, urging the whole nation to rally behind the Taiwanese heroes for another victory in Tokyo.
The Legislative Yuan invited Premier Su Tseng-chang and others to report on the compilation process of the “Central Government Fiscal Year 113 (2024) Additional Budget Bill” and attend the budget inquiry on the 19th. Premier Su, in a media interview before the meeting, pointed out that the strongest baseball team in Taiwan has received significant support and backing from the people during this tournament. He expressed solidarity with everyone, sharing the same enthusiasm and effort to cheer on the team, hoping for a smooth competition in Japan and to showcase to the world the top-notch and formidable baseball standards of Taiwan, believing that Taiwan can truly become a baseball powerhouse.