Taiwan tops Korea in WBC thriller; Chen: 'We achieved the impossible'

Tokyo, March 8 (CNA) Team Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said his generation of players had "achieved the impossible" after Taiwan defeated South Korea for the first time in World Baseball Classic (WBC) history on Sunday at the Tokyo Dome, securing a dramatic 5-4 extra-inning victory.

Chen entered the game as a pinch runner in the 10th-inning tiebreaker and slid head-first to score the winning run, snapping Taiwan's four-game losing streak against South Korea in the tournament and keeping its hopes of advancing to the next round in Miami alive.

Fighting back tears after the game, which drew more than 40,584 fans to the Tokyo Dome, Chen said the moment carried special meaning for players who grew up watching Taiwan repeatedly fall just short against its regional rival.

"I feel so happy," Chen said. "Our generation has created many things that once seemed impossible."

Reflecting on years of narrow losses to South Korea since his childhood, Chen said that while Korea might still hold advantages in power and pitching, anything can happen in a single international game.

"As kids we watched these tournaments and we were always just a little short of beating Korea," he said. "Today we finally did it."

Shortstop Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) also played a key role, hitting a go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning.

"It felt amazing -- almost unbelievable," Cheng said, adding that while the victory was an important affirmation for Taiwanese players, the team hopes to beat Korea more comfortably in the future. "We've taken a huge step forward today."

The offense was further bolstered by Stuart Fairchild, who hit a dramatic two-run homer in the eighth inning to briefly put Taiwan ahead.

Starter Gu Lin Ruei-yang (古林睿煬) delivered four strong innings, a performance South Korean manager Ryu Ji-hyun (柳志炫) said allowed Taiwan to preserve its bullpen and proved decisive.

Across Taiwan, the tense game drew large crowds to public viewing events, with fans erupting in cheers when Taiwan sealed the historic victory in extra innings.

Taiwan manager Tseng Hao-chu (曾豪駒) said the emotional win reflected the unpredictable nature of baseball.

"That's what makes baseball so interesting," Tseng said. "It can make you sad, and it can also make you very happy."

Before Sunday's triumph, Taiwan's only victory in the tournament came in a 14-0 mercy-rule rout of the Czech Republic on Saturday.