Chinese Taipei shut out Japan, win WBSC Premier12 2024

A solo shot by Chia-Cheng Lin and a three-run homer by captain Chieh-Hsien Chen provided the runs. A superb outing by four pitchers (Yu-Min Lin, Yi Chang, Kuan-Yu Chen, Kai-Wei Lin) limited Samurai Japan to four hits.

World No. 2 Chinese Taipei won the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS. Chinese Taipei shut out World No. 1 Japan, 4-0, in a Tokyo Dome packed by 41,827 fans, making 6,000 travelling fans delirious.

Manager Hao-Jiu Tseng commented after the game; "It is important for a young team like ours to go through these games. My original intention was to help these players develop through challenges and get closes to the powerhouses."

Tseng added, " We ended Japan's winning streak, but they still have the No. 1 programme in the world. We played very well, and we can say we are now closer to them."

Chinese Taipei pitching staff had a superb night. Arizona Diamondbacks prospect allowed one hit and two walks over four innings of work.

The bullpen was even better. Veteran Yi Chang (Fubong Guardians and a former Nippon Professional Baseball - NPB - reliever) allowed two hits over three innings while striking out three. Kuan-Yu Chen (Rakuten Monkeys, also a former NPB reliever) pitched a perfect eighth and struck out two. Former Minor League Baseball (MiLB) prospect Kai-Wei Lin (Wi Chuan Dragons) took care of the ninth with some help from a double play.

Chinese Taipei scored on two home runs. A solo shot by catcher Chia-Cheng Lin put them on the scoreboard. Captain Chieh-Hsien Chen opened the score with a three-run homer and earned MVP honours.

"The result went over what we anticipated. We never expected such an outcome," said Chen postgame.

"We tried to play at our best and believe in each other," he added. "Our true goal has always been playing as a team and sticking together, no matter the result."

Chen concluded: "This win will give everybody in our baseball team more confidence and the awareness that we can compete with everybody."

Chinese Taipei became the third Premier12 champions in as many editions, succeeding Korea and Japan.

Japan is the only team that medalled in all three editions, adding this silver to the 2015 bronze and the 2019 title. The defeat in the final interrupts a 27-game winning streak.

"The players gave their all in the nine games from the first match to today," commented manager Hirokazu Ibata in the postgame press conference. "I would like to thank for their hard work. In the end, the fact that we couldn't secure the victory ultimately is entirely my responsibility. I feel deeply sorry for the players."

"Many young players performed exceptionally well," he added. "I hope the players will take today’s loss to heart and continue striving to improve."

The Japanese media asked Ibata why he didn't make a call to the bullpen in the fifth inning.

"Togo is the ace of the Giants, and while he played as a reliever in the WBC, I expected him to hold the line in that situation. The fact that he gave up those hits is entirely my responsibility. I decided to let him continue because I believed he could handle it."

The live Blog as it happened

Shosei Togo delivered the first pitch at 19:03.

Chinese Taipei captain Chieh-Hsien Chen got the game's first hit, turning the first pitch he saw into a two-out double. Togo struck out An-Ko Lin with a wicked split-finger to end the at-bat.

Chinese Taipei got in scoring position with two outs in the top of the third. Li Lin singled, bringing Chen-Wei Chen to third. Togo got Chie-Hsien Chen to ground into a force-out.

Sosuke Genda led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. He reached second when Chinese Taipei starter Yu-Min Lin allowed his first walk. Kaito Kozono drove the second pitch he saw to deep centre field, but Chieh-Hsien Chen ran down the fly.

Chinese Taipei second baseman Tung-Hua Yueh ended the fourth Japanese at bat with a superb diving catch on Shogo Maki's sharp grounder.

Chinese Taipei took the lead in the top of the fifth. Catcher Chia-Cheng Lin looked at a ball and drove a 93 mph (150 kilometres) fastball in the right field bleachers for a solo home run.

Chen-Wei Chen reached on a one-out single. Togo walked Li Lin and worked the count full against Chieh-Hsien Cheng. After a foul ball, the UniPresident Lions star drove a fastball over the right-field wall for a three-run homer.

Yi Chang took the mound for Chinese Taipei in the bottom of the fifth. He allowed a pair of singles and then retired Kaito Kozono on a grounder to first base to end the inning.

Chihiro Sumida took over for Togo in the top of the sixth.

Chien-Kai Pan left the game injured in the top of the seventh after trying to reach first base with a brave head-first slide. He would have added a run for Chinese Taipei. Yu-Hsien Chu took over at first.

Japan sent to the mounf Shoma Fujihira in the top of the eighth. Kun-Yu Chiang reached on a leadoff double. He advanced to third on a groundout but Fujihira got out of the at-bat on a strikeout and a groundout.

Veteran left-hander Kuan-Yu Chen pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth for Chinese Taipei.

Taisei Ota took Samurai Japan mound in the top of the ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Chinese Taipei handed the ball to Kai-Wei Lin. Ryosuke Tatsumi singled on the right-hander's second pitch. Tatsumi was the first out at second on a Shota Morishita's chopper.

Ryoya Kurihara worked the count full, then lined the sixth pitch in Yu-Hsien Chu's glove. The first baseman doubled up Morishita, ending the game and the WBSC Premier12 2024.