AFC Champions League" has a 100% winning rate against the Taiwan team. The Japanese team announced its starting pitcher against Taiwan!

Kanemaru Dream Fight. (File photo, Reuters)

[Special Correspondent Gong Nai J/Reporting from Tokyo, Japan] The Taiwan team will fight against Japan in the opening match of the AFC Champions League tomorrow night. The Japanese team announced that it will be played by Yume Dou Kanemaru, striving to achieve the unbeaten record against the Taiwan team in the history of the AFC Champions League.

The Japanese team held a press conference after practice. Head coach Iguchi Shihito and Kanemaru Yumeto attended together. The media asked whether Kanemaru would be able to carry out the opening game. Iguchi replied: "Otherwise, he wouldn't be here now. I informed him at the early stage that he would start the game. At that time, he also confidently said to me, 'Leave it to me.'"

Kanemaru revealed that he was notified during the first day of training, "I expected that I would be entrusted with a heavy responsibility, and at that time I just thought, 'Just leave it to me.'"

The only players on the Japanese team who have classic qualifications are Takahashi Hiroto and Kanemaru Yumeto. Kanemaru is the No. 1 pick of the Chinese Dragons in 2024. This year he has a record of 5 wins and 12 losses, and an ERA of 2.91. He said yesterday that he hopes that their generation will serve as the core of the future Japanese team. "For this reason, this tournament is crucial."

Japanese team pitching coach Kurano Shinji also said that Yumeto Kanemaru is in very good condition. "He has also participated in the Classic before. He knows what he should do and his mentality is quite stable."