TAIPEI: Two homeruns, including a grand slam by outfielder Chen Chen-wei, propelled Taiwan’s national baseball team to a 6-3 victory over South Korea at the Taipei Dome on Wednesday. This match marked the opening day of the WBSC Premier12 championship Group B event.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chen’s grand slam and a two-run homer by center fielder Chen Chieh-hsien both occurred in the bottom of the second inning, giving the hosts an early 6-0 lead. Although Taiwan did not score further runs after this explosive start, their initial six runs were sufficient to secure an opening victory.

Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, managed eight hits in total, while South Korea struggled with only three hits. The game was dominated by Taiwan’s ace starter Lin Yu-min, a promising talent from the Arizona Diamondbacks who advanced to AAA in 2024, alongside five Taiwanese relievers.

South Korea’s efforts included Kim Do-yeong’s RBI double and Park Dong-won’s RBI single in the fourth inning, reducing the gap
to 6-2. Na Seung-yeup’s home run in the seventh inning further closed the margin to 6-3, but South Korea could not bridge the gap further.

Post-match, Team Taiwan manager Tseng Hao-ju commended his players for their confidence and ability to win the opener despite being considered underdogs against South Korea. He also expressed gratitude to the nearly sellout crowd of 40,000 at the Taipei Dome for their support.

South Korean manager Ryu Joong-il acknowledged Taiwan’s formidable batting lineup, while Chen Chen-wei credited his success to focusing on a breaking ball from South Korean starter Ko Young-pyo.

In other Group B matches on Wednesday, defending champions Japan defeated Australia 9-3 in Nagoya, Japan, and the Dominican Republic overcame Cuba 6-1 at Taipei’s Tianmu Stadium. Taiwan is set to face the Dominican Republic on Thursday at the Taipei Dome.

The 2024 WBSC Premier12 is the third edition of the championship, featuring the top 12 national teams worldwide. Organized by the World Baseball Softbal
l Confederation (WBSC), the tournament sees the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super Round in Japan. The leading teams after the Super Round will compete for gold, while the third and fourth-placed teams will vie for bronze.