U18 Asian Youth Baseball Tournament starts tomorrow, Taiwan and South Korea battle Liu Renyou vs. He Xiancheng

Liu Renyou. (Information photo, provided by the Student Baseball League)

[Reporter Gong Naijie/Report from Taipei] The U18 Asian Youth Baseball Championship starts tomorrow, and the first game will be a battle between Taiwan and South Korea. The two sides announced their starting pitchers tonight. Liu Renyou will fight against Ha Xiancheng, staging a "big left-hander showdown."

South Korean media also asked at the opening press conference today: "Who do you think is the player you need to be wary of the most?" Yang Xiaocheng, the coach of the Taiwan team, said: "The pitcher (Ha Xiangcheng) who gave up on the Yankees, he was not that fast last year, but he has improved a lot this year." Ha Xiangcheng came from Busan High School. He once gave up the Yankees' offer of about US$3 million and finally chose to challenge the Korean Professional Baseball Draft.

Taiwanese left-hander Liu Renyou started the game against the United States in the U18 World Cup last year and hit a speed of 150 kilometers. He also faced the South Korean team in the Super Cycle and the third-place match and led his team to win third place. He is currently a player who has been tracked by foreign scouts for a long time. His fastest career speed can reach 151 kilometers.

The Diamondbacks signed Yan Junxiang from the South Korean team for US$1.5 million (approximately NT$47.52 million). Speaking of the Taiwanese player who impressed him the most, Liu Renyou said, "Last year I remember that I couldn't get too many hits from him, but this year I have also grown up and I really want to have a head-to-head duel with him and defeat him."