Taiwanese baseball ace Gu Linruiyang withdraws from Asian Games team due to injury

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Dae-ho Lee = Taiwanese ace pitcher Gu Linruiyang (Nippon Ham Fighters), who was expected to pitch in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games baseball game against Korea, will not be able to participate in the tournament due to injury.

Taiwanese media ET Today reported on the 7th that "Gu Linruiyang, a pitcher for the Taiwanese national baseball team at the Asian Games, injured his left abdominal muscle during practice and withdrew from the national team."

The Taiwan Baseball Association (CTBA) said, "Gu Linruiyang has been ruled out of the game after a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination and the doctor ruled him ineligible to play," and added, "We have urgently selected pitcher Huang Zhongxiang, who plays in the minor league of the Arizona Diamondbacks of the American Professional Baseball League, as a replacement player, and we are awaiting final approval from his club."

Gu Linruiyang is a key resource for Taiwan's mound, having been selected as the top starting pitcher for the Korean game in this tournament thanks to his fast and heavy ball reaching a maximum speed of 160 km/h.

He also started against Korea in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March of this year and pitched well, allowing 1 run in 4 innings.

His sudden injury and fall from the field are expected to cause a major setback in the Taiwanese national team's mound management.

Currently, Taiwan's national baseball team is suffering from a series of departures of key players.

Previously, Xu Luoxi (Softbank Hawks) missed the game due to injury, and Zheng Zongze (Boston Red Sox) will not participate in the tournament due to a big league call-up.

The departure of Gu Linruiyang, who was the core of Taiwan's mound power, is expected to be a significant variable for the Korean national baseball team aiming for a gold medal in this Asian Games.