U18 Yaqing/Taiwan and Japan ace showdown! Liu Renyouming faces Oda Xiangxi

Liu Renyou. (File photo, taken by reporter Luo Peide)

[Reporter Gong Naixi/Reporting from Taipei] In the U18 Asian Youth Baseball Championship super round robin, the Taiwan team will send Liu Renyou to fight against Oda Xiangxi tomorrow night to stage a "Taiwan-Japan ace" showdown. Liu Renyou bluntly said that the Japanese team's hitters have better ball selection and fighting ability, and they are more demanding to control the ball when practicing pitching in the bullpen.

Liu Renyu threw 69 pitches and five scoreless innings against the South Korean team in the opening game. He left the game due to lack of pitching. He took a complete rest for two days after the game and began to adjust in the bullpen today. Talking about the game against Japan tomorrow night, Liu Renyu said that he would not hold anything back like in the past. "I will do a good job in the job that the coach gives me. I can pitch as many innings as I can, and I hope I can minimize the runs."

Liu Renyou and South Korean ace Zuotou Ha Xiancheng took a group photo in the restaurant after the opening match. Liu Renyou once asked for advice on his slider that left batters completely helpless. "I asked him how to throw his slider. He asked me why the ball was so fast and explosive. I also shared with him."

South Korea's ace left-hander Ha Hyun-seung's slider caused Taiwan and Japan to suffer a lot. He struck out 17 times in 8.2 innings in total, showing a completely different level of skill. Yang Hsiao-cheng, the coach of the Taiwanese team, said, "That slider may not be hit well by a professional baseball hitter."

Liu Renyou analyzed that his slider is different from Ha Xiancheng's spin. "His is very curveball, and he is very tall. When thrown from that release point, it will look like a straight ball. Mine is a bit like a DNA spiral." As long as he leads his team to defeat Japan tomorrow night, they are expected to meet again in the championship game. Liu Renyou said bluntly: "We must compete at a higher level in the future!"