WBC / Team Taiwan welcomed by sports minister, 300 fans at airport

Taipei, March 11 (CNA) Members of Taiwan's 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) team were welcomed by Sports Minister Lee Yang (李洋) and more than 300 fans early Wednesday at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport upon their return from Japan.

Taiwan finished tied with South Korea and Australia for second place in the WBC's Pool C with a 2-2 record, but the Koreans squeaked through to the tournament's quarterfinals based on the tiebreaker: fewest runs allowed per defensive inning.

Though Taiwan did not advance, many fans still felt the four-game campaign, which started poorly with shutout losses to Australia and Pool C winner Japan, was a success because of a 5-4 extra-inning victory over arch-rival South Korea in the team's final game.

Upon arrival at the airport's Terminal 2, player Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) and manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒) accepted flowers from China Airlines ground crew on behalf of the team.

Fans gathered in the terminal's arrival lobby cheered for the team and its players while waving banners and flags, and they were most excited when outfielder Sung Cheng-jui (宋晟睿) held up the ball that he said was "the final out against South Korea."

One fan, surnamed Lin (林), who said she has been a baseball fan for more than 20 years, told CNA that she took time off from work to fly to Tokyo and watch Taiwan's games against Australia, the Czech Republic and South Korea.

She returned to Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon before heading to the airport at night to welcome the team.

Lin said she was particularly moved by the winning run scored against the Koreans by team captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲), who was in a pinch-runner while recovering from being hit on the hand by a pitch in the game against Australia.

Another fan said Taiwanese fans in Tokyo were vocal, "turning Tokyo Dome into Taipei Dome."

While players who compete overseas returned to their respective teams, 18 players and their families, 10 coaches and Chinese Professional Baseball League commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) took a Tuesday night flight from Tokyo after the end of Pool C play, arriving in Taiwan at 12:03 a.m.