U23 World Cup》Taiwan’s miraculous advancement! Exclusive interview with "Shadow Hero" on WBSC official website
Wei Quanlong’s 22-year-old Red Submarine accepted an exclusive interview with the WBSC official website
Quick Look
- The Taiwanese team lost to Puerto Rico 0:1 in the preliminaries of the U23 World Cup Baseball Tournament.
- However, due to the advantage of the match-up relationship, after having 2 wins and 3 losses with the four teams of Panama, Nicaragua, and the Czech Republic, Taiwan defeated Panama and advanced to the super round.
- Wei Quanlong's 22-year-old hook pitcher Lin Baiyou started 4 innings against Panama and gave up no runs.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Taiwanese team was in the same group as Puerto Rico, Panama, Nicaragua, and the Czech Republic in the preliminaries of the U23 World Cup Baseball Tournament. The four teams all had a record of 2 wins and 3 losses. In the end, through comparison of head-to-head relationships, Taiwan defeated Panama and advanced to the super round. Weiquanlong pitcher Lin Baiyou started 4 games against Panama and went 4K without scoring, making a key contribution to the team's qualifying.
Lin Baiyou. (Picture taken from WBSC official website)
[Reporter Luo Zhipeng/Comprehensive Report] The Taiwanese team in the U23 World Cup Baseball Tournament was defeated by Puerto Rico 0:1 today. Taiwan, Panama, Nicaragua, and the Czech Republic all had a record of 2 wins and 3 losses. In the final comparison of the four teams, Taiwan and Panama both scored 2 wins, and Nicaragua and the Czech Republic each won 1 win. Taiwan had defeated Panama before, so it qualified among the 4 teams and miraculously grabbed the last seat to advance to the super round robin.
Looking back, the Taiwan team's hook pitcher Lin Baiyou only allowed 1 hit in the first 4 innings against Panama in the preliminaries. A 4K pitch without allowing a run was very important. A reporter from the official website of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) conducted a special interview with the 22-year-old "Red Submarine" who plays for the Dragons.
Please read on...
Lin Baiyou told a reporter on the WBSC official website that he was originally an infielder in junior high school. Once in the bullpen, he wanted to throw the underhook pitch on a whim. After the coach saw it, he felt that he had the potential to become an excellent underhook pitcher, so he adopted this pitching method.
Lin Baiyou pointed out that hitters are usually used to seeing the ball path of an over-shoulder pitcher from top to bottom. They will be very uncomfortable seeing the weird ball path of an underhook pitcher, especially from a very low release angle from bottom to top. This is a completely different vision and trajectory.
In 2023, Lin Baiyou graduated from Pingzhen High School and was selected sixth by the Dragons in the draft. He made his career debut on August 15 this year. He scored 1 win and 1 save in 8 games this season. His ERA and on-base percentage per inning were both 1.42. He said, "It means a lot to me to make my career debut. It feels really special to be able to become a professional baseball player."
Lin Baiyou was on the 32-man roster for this year's Taiwan competition, but was not on the board in the end. He said that whether he could play or not was not his decision. It was the authority of the head coach. However, he was still very excited. He personally experienced the tension on the scene and the atmosphere of the competition. The process of winning the championship was great.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Taiwan team will participate in the U23 World Cup Super Round Tournament
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What are the Taiwanese team’s opponents and schedule in the Super Cycle?
- Will Lin Baiyou get a starting chance in the Super Cycle?
