Taiwan prevailed over Mexico 3-1 in the bronze-medal playoff at the U-23 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in Taipei on Sunday to secure its best-ever placing at the tournament.

Competing as “Chinese Taipei,” Taiwan failed to make it to the tournament’s final after losing 2-1 on Friday to the Mexican team, but it was able to gain revenge on Sunday as Lee Chen-hsun (李晨薰) and Chen Sheng-ping (陳聖平) dazzled on the mound and at the plate respectively in Sunday’s game at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium.

Through five pitched innings, the 20-year-old right-hander Lee yielded three hits and one run while fanning four batters with his fastball that reached as fast as 151 kilometers per hour to keep the Latin American powerhouse in check.

The only bit of trouble came in the bottom of the first inning, when Lee made a wild pitch with runners on second and third bases for Mexico to get its first and only run in the game.
The guest team’s minor offensive rally, however, was soon halted by a resurgent Chen.

Following his double in the second inning that brought Tseng Song-en (曾頌恩) home to tie the game at 1-1, Chen drove another clutch hit to center field with the bases loaded in the top of the third to propel Taiwan to a 3-1 lead, which remained intact with Chuang Hsin-yen (莊昕諺) closing the game smoothly.
Chen’s two-for-three was huge not only because he tallied all three of Taiwan’s RBIs, but also because he ended an embarrassing three-for-19 hitting slump at the plate over his previous seven games in the tournament.

“I want to thank the coaches. Even though I wasn’t in good form in the previous games, they still trusted me. There were runners on base when I stepped to the box and I grabbed the chance. We showcased teamwork. This victory belongs to every one of us,” said Chen after the game, according to the WBSC website.

Commenting on Chen’s impressive performance, manager Hsieh Cheng-hsun (謝承勳) revealed that he did hesitate initially on whether to put Chen on the list for the game, but he was glad to have made the decision to trust in Chen’s bat.
Despite a strong start in the opening round, where Taiwan topped Group A with a 5-0 record, it went on an unexpected three-game losing streak in the super round.

“Whenever you play on home turf, all the coaches and players are under pressure, which is understandable, but I told them to relax before each game. Before the bronze-medal game, I told them to enjoy the moment since this was the last game,” Hsieh said.

Hsieh’s strategy paid off as Taiwan’s third-place finish marked the team’s best finish at the tournament. The team’s previous best finish was fifth in the 2018 tournament.

In addition to helping the team come third, Tseng was also selected as an All-Star outfielder for the tournament.

In the final also on Sunday, Japan defeated South Korea 3-0 to win the tournament.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel