Team Taiwan defeated Cuba 2-0 this Monday in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament. The win comes on the heels of an 11-3 victory against Australia on Sunday, which secured Taiwan a spot in the Super Round in Tokyo, Japan.
Education Deputy Minister Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅), Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠), and Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) Commissioner and Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) saw the players off at Taoyuan International Airport Tuesday morning. Tsai reminded fans watching in Tokyo or from home to cheer for Taiwan.
Team captain Chen Chieh-Hsien (陳傑憲) expressed great pride and excitement at the team’s performance this year, saying the players will endeavor to achieve the best results for Taiwan. He said he is pleased to be able to represent the country and honored to be able to contribute to national pride.
Team Taiwan has already exceeded their record from the previous Premier12 tournament in 2019, in which they placed fifth. They received a shoutout from President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on his Facebook page, where he posted his congratulations for advancing to the semi-final round of Premier12 for the first time in the team’s history. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) posted about the latest victories against Cuba and Australia as well, saying he looks forward to good results in Tokyo.
The Super Round will see Taiwan play against Venezuela on November 21 and against the U.S. the following day. Another win would qualify them for the medal round competition. The championship game between the top two teams will take place this coming Sunday.