"AFC Champions League" highlights the two major characteristics of the Taiwan team. Supervisor Iguchi reveals the key to winning

A group photo of the Taiwanese team. (Photo by special correspondent Gong Naijie)

The 2026 Asian Professional Baseball Championship will ignite the war tomorrow. The Japanese team, which is challenging for three consecutive championships, will launch Kanemaru Dream Fighting against the Taiwanese team in the first match. In an interview, Japanese team supervisor Shihito Iguchi pointed out the characteristics of the Taiwanese team, and they must be wary of the Taiwanese hitters' footwork and offensive combination.

The Japanese team held a press conference after the practice. Head coach Iguchi Shihito and Kanemaru Yumeto attended together. When Iguchi Shihito talked about the Taiwan team, he said that the opponent's characteristic is that they can take advantage of their speed and are very good at series offense. He emphasized that the key to blocking the Taiwan team is "how to avoid letting the first batter get on base."

The Japanese team has studied the opponent's batting line through team meetings, and Yumeto Kanemaru will face off against the Taiwan team's batting line. He said: "The opponent's batting line is good at connecting offenses, so first of all, I have to focus on my own pitching, and do my best to suppress the first batter, not to throw four walks, and not to allow the opponent to get on base. When facing a center hitter or a key hitter, I will be more careful in dealing with it."

Director Iguchi has high hopes for his own batting line. He said that there are many players with long-hitting ability in the lineup from the front batting to the center batting line. He hopes that runners can be sent to the base package, and he hopes that the batters behind can use their firepower to score at the right time.