The 2026 Nagoya Asian Games baseball team starts training. Head coach Tang Dengkai bluntly said that the first game against South Korea is a crucial one.

Tang Dengkai, head coach of the Taiwan team. (Photo by reporter Li Huizhou)

[Reporter Wu Mengru/Taipei Report] The 2026 Nagoya Asian Games will be held on September 19. The Taiwanese baseball team will play its first group match against South Korea on the 21st. Head coach Tang Dengkai bluntly said that the most important game against South Korea will be the best pitcher and main force.

The 24-man roster of the Taiwanese Asian Games baseball team was released a few days ago. Today, in addition to foreign players, five secondary vocational players have arrived at the National Training Center to report for training. This Asian Games is in the same group with South Korea, Thailand, and Hong Kong. In the first game, they will face the favorite South Korea. The defeat of the two teams in the first game will also determine the subsequent Super Cycle results.

Tang Dengkai attended the national training media day today and emphasized that the first game against South Korea will be the most important game. The offensive and defensive lineups are currently roughly determined, but because overseas pitchers such as Lin Yumin and Wang Yancheng have not reported yet, the status is unclear, and some overseas pitchers are restricted by the number of balls and innings set by their teams. It is expected to adopt a double starter, and will be paired with three main relief pitchers, including American pitchers Pan Wenhui, amateur Wang Zhenghao, and Wang Yujie.

Facing South Korea, which is striving for its fifth consecutive championship, Tang Dengkai also bluntly said that his opponent has fielded a "semi-classic lineup", with Guo Bin, Wen Baojing and other good players on the list, and the overall strength is strong. However, he also emphasized that baseball is not just an arm's length talk, but must be played to see the real results. There will be rest days afterwards, and there will be room for adjustments, so this battle will be fought with the best strength.

As for the American pitcher Huang Zhongxiang who originally replaced the injured pitcher Gu Lin Ruiyang who retired from training, he is currently negotiating with his team. Tang Dengkai said that if he fails to replace the injured pitcher in the end, he has already locked in the candidate and will prioritize amateur players.

Tang Dengkai, head coach of the Taiwan team. (Photo by reporter Li Huizhou)