Japanese baseball legend praises Taiwan, urges unity through the sport

Taipei, May 17 (CNA) Japanese baseball legend Hideki Kuriyama on Sunday praised Taiwan's baseball scene during an appearance in Taipei and said he hoped East Asian countries could come together through the sport.

Kuriyama, better known for his prowess as a manager than as a player, said at a seminar in Taipei that he visited Taiwan after the country won the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 championship.

The entire nation united to celebrate the achievement and also baseball itself, which moved him greatly, Kuriyama said at the event, one that opened a commemorative baseball exhibition organized by Taiwan's CTBC Financial Holding Co., Ltd.

Kuriyama also spoke highly of Taiwan's performance at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, praising its final nail-biting victory over South Korea that nearly got it into the second round of the tournament.

He said he saw a group of players who went beyond the technical side of the game and put their hearts and souls into the games they played.

As for his ambitions in East Asia, Kuriyama said he wanted to further develop baseball not just in Taiwan and Japan, but also in South Korea and China because the sport has the potential to knock down walls.

While that might sound like an overreach for someone in his position, Kuriyama said, he nonetheless hoped to see Asian countries come together in a sphere of baseball prosperity.

Kuriyama also talked about some of his experiences from his illustrious career, sharing his life from its humble beginnings to a world championship-winning baseball legend.

Currently the chief baseball officer of the Nippon Professional Baseball's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Kuriyama played seven seasons for the Yakult Swallows from 1984 to 1990, racking up 336 hits and a .279 average.

He managed the Fighters from 2012 to 2021, during which he worked with a number of athletes from Taiwan, such as Yang Dai-kang (陽岱鋼) and Wang Po-jung (王柏融).

Given that there continue to be Taiwanese players like Gu Lin Ruei-yang (古林睿煬) and Sun Yi-lei (孫易磊) on the Fighters' current roster, Kuriyama said he has a deep connection with Taiwan, feeling that the country is like a second home.

Kuriyama also led the Samurai Japan team to the title at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.