Tokyo: Team Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien declared his team's victory as an achievement of the impossible after Taiwan secured a dramatic 5-4 extra-inning win against South Korea in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the Tokyo Dome. This victory marks Taiwan's first win over South Korea in WBC history.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chen played a crucial role by entering the game as a pinch runner in the 10th-inning tiebreaker, scoring the winning run with a head-first slide. This win ended Taiwan's four-game losing streak against South Korea in the tournament and kept their hopes alive for advancing to the next round in Miami.

Chen expressed his emotions after the game, which attracted a crowd of more than 40,584 fans. The victory held special significance for Taiwanese players who had grown up witnessing Taiwan's near misses against South Korea. Chen mentioned the ongoing challenges with South Korea's power and pitching but emphasized that anything is possible in an international game.

Shortstop Cheng Tsung-che was instrumental in the victory with a go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning. Cheng shared his disbelief and excitement, while also expressing hope for more decisive wins against Korea in the future.

Stuart Fairchild contributed significantly to the offense with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, temporarily putting Taiwan in the lead. Starter Gu Lin Ruei-yang's strong four innings were highlighted by South Korean manager Ryu Ji-hyun as a pivotal factor in preserving Taiwan's bullpen.

The match drew large crowds to public viewing events across Taiwan, with fans celebrating the historic victory. Taiwan manager Tseng Hao-chu commented on the unpredictable nature of baseball, which can bring both sadness and joy.

Before this triumph, Taiwan's only win in the tournament was a 14-0 mercy-rule victory over the Czech Republic on Saturday.