BASEBALL/Taiwan's Lee Hao-yu called up by Tigers, goes 0-for-3 in MLB debut

Taipei, April 19 (CNA) Taiwan's Lee Hao-yu (李灝宇) went 0-for-3 in his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut Friday (local time) for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues.

The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak.

The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter's home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry.

"Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to be against lefties, so he's likely to be in and around those games," manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Lee is the 19th Taiwanese player to reach MLB and the seventh position player. The most recent Taiwanese player to be promoted to the big leagues was Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) in April 2025 when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A native of New Taipei, Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent in 2021.

He spent two years in the Phillies' minor league system before being traded to the Tigers in 2023, and has since worked his way through Detroit's minor league system, reaching Triple-A Toledo last season.

He played the entire 2025 season at Toledo, posting a .243 batting average with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs in 126 games.

Before his call-up, Lee played nine games for Toledo this season, recording a .194 batting average with one home run and seven RBIs.