WBC/Taiwan's all-star baseball team embarks for WBC pool stage in Japan

Taipei, Feb. 28 (CNA) Taiwan's 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) team set out on Saturday for friendly games in Miyazaki, Japan, before heading to Tokyo for the WBC pool stage.

Led by 2024 WBSC Premier12 MVP Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲), affectionately nicknamed Captain Taiwan, the team will play at Miyazaki's Sokken Stadium against Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes on Monday and then against Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Tuesday as part of the WBC official exhibition games.

Speaking to reporters before departure, Chen pledged that the team will do its best to reach Miami, United States, for the elimination round of the competition.

The Taiwanese team will then play its first pool stage match against Australia on Thursday inside at the Tokyo Dome to compete for one of two spots in the quarterfinals in Miami on March 13.

Team Taiwan took off from Taoyuan International Airport seven players short of its official 30-man roster.

Six of Taiwan's overseas-based players joined the team in Miyazaki.

The six players are all Major League Baseball-affiliated, including pitchers Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸), Zhuang Chen Zhong-ao (莊陳仲敖), and Lyle Lin (林維恩), who play in the Athletics organization, as well as pitcher Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

The other two players in the MLB system are Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) in the Red Sox and Lee Hao-yu (李灝宇) in the Detroit Tigers organization.

A number of overseas-based players had already joined the team for practice games in Taiwan, including Taiwanese-American outfielder Stuart Fairchild.

However, fellow Taiwanese-American Jonathon Long, who plays in the Chicago Cubs' minor league system, bowed out of Team Taiwan due to an injury, after having previously signed on to represent the nation, leaving Taiwan with 29 players on the team.