Chinese Taipei cruises past Japan in four innings
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A capsule look at Chinese Taipei's 10-0, run-rule victory over Japan in four innings
PLAY OF THE GAME -- Sporting two outs and two runners in scoring position, Chinese Taipei shortstop Hsu Shao-Chieh placed a ball in the perfect spot in right field, just outside of the reach of Japan right fielder Yohei Yamaguchi. That resulted in a double and two RBIs for Shao-Chieh and got the ball rolling for it early.
CHINESE TAIPEI PLAYER OF THE GAME -- Ace starting pitcher Fan Chen-Jun once again pitched an incredible game, posting six strikeouts in three innings pitched and allowing just one walk and zero hits. While not as dominant of a showing as his debut, where he attributed nine strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings and pitched an immaculate inning, it's worth noting that it did come against Japan, the first team in the tournament to reach two wins.
JAPAN PLAYER OF THE GAME -- While not putting on an amazing performance, Japan starting pitcher Akito Masuda did contribute four strikeouts in two innings pitched and only allowed two walks. He also allowed two hits and four runs (three of them earned) but there were some positives there.
BIG INNING -- Though Chinese Taipei proved to be a challenge for Japan early, not many were aware of how big of a challenge that was until the third inning. After quickly loading the bases and forcing a lineup change, things steadily went downhill for Japan, as the runs came pouring in.
By the time the dust had cleared, Chinese Taipei had scored six runs, the second most by an International team in the tournament. That put Japan in a hole too deep to climb out of, and it would effectively be run-ruled just one inning later.
BEST EFFORT -- The ability to not just dominate but also mitigate mistakes and bounce back from the small ones you do make shows an incredible amount of discipline and preparation. That's exactly what Chinese Taipei has illustrated defensively, as it goes into its third game having not surrendered a hit.
FLASHING LEATHER -- Things started somewhat rough for Chen-Jun in the first, as Japan was able to get two on base with just one out due to him issuing his first walk of the tournament and hitting a batter.
But when those two runners advanced into scoring position off a groundout on the next at-bat, Chen-Jun delivered his second strikeout of the inning to close out the inning, with the pitch narrowly undershooting 80 miles per hour.
WHAT THE ADULTS SAY -- "I already have three pitchers picked for Wednesday against Curacao," said Chinese Taipei manager Lee Cheng-Ta through a translator. "We have a lot of respect for Curaçao, not just as a team but as a country. I want the team to do their best and have fun."
WHAT THE KIDS SAY -- "As a captain, I saw an opportunity with runners on second and third base and was waiting for a fast ball," said Chinese Taipei shortstop Hsu Shao-Chieh through a translator, referring to his two-RBI double in the first. "I got the fastball, and it was exactly what I expected."
WHAT IT MEANS -- Chinese Taipei (2-0) is set to take on Curacao on Wednesday and could find itself in the International title game with a win. Japan falls to 2-1 within the tournament and will face a tough opponent in Panama on Tuesday.