Taiwan wins 2nd Asian Cup Baseball5 title, secures World Cup berth

Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Taiwan claimed its second Baseball5 Asia Cup title on Tuesday, rallying past Japan in the championship series to secure a berth in the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup 2026, scheduled for Dec. 9-13 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Baseball5 is a fast-paced, urban version of baseball played with five players per side over five innings, featuring hand-hitting and a rubber ball.

Competing at the 2026 Asian Cup in Hong Kong, Taiwan defeated Japan 2-1 in the best-of-three final, dropping the opener 4-5 before rebounding to win 2-1 and 5-4.

Earlier in the day, Taiwan advanced to the title game by sweeping South Korea 11-0 and 6-4 in the semifinals, setting up a third consecutive Asian Cup final against Japan.

In the first set, Taiwan led 2-0 after three innings and extended the advantage to 4-1, but Japan rallied with three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game before pushing across the go-ahead run in the sixth for a 5-4 win.

Taiwan answered in the second set, scoring twice in the first inning and limiting Japan to one run, to level the match.

In the deciding third set, Taiwan trailed 1-4 after two innings but rallied with three runs in the bottom of the third to tie it. Sung Mi-chia (宋米家) then delivered a clutch RBI single in the fourth inning, driving in the winning run and sealing a 5-4 victory.

The final marked the third straight Asian Cup championship encounter between Taiwan and Japan. Taiwan won the inaugural title in 2022, and Japan took gold in 2024.

Led by head coach Feng Wei-kuo (馮韋國), Taiwan reclaimed the title and secured qualification for the upcoming Baseball5 World Cup.