Chinese Taipei did what few teams have: threw a perfect game

Heading into the last out of the game, Chinese Taipei's interpreter broke a stated league rule, acknowledging that the team was one out away from a no-hitter. As closing pitcher Cai Yuan-Hao wound up to pitch on a full count, he was sweating bullets.

"I said, 'there's a no-hitter coming out' and then the coach got up and was staring at me," laughed the interpreter. "I was telling the kids 'Please, please don't make me feel bad for the rest of my life."

The jinx didn't end up occurring, as Yuan-Hao caught Canadian right fielder Bryden Nernberg swinging to conclude to the perfect game. That's a feat that's only happened eight times in Little League World Series history, three of which belong to Chinese Taipei and the last of which took place nearly six years ago.

The historic night began with a few surprises. The first pitch out of Chinese Taipei starting pitcher Fan Chen-Jun’s hand was fast. Very fast. Through the first few innings, it became clear he had an arm in a league of its own, as he consistently hit 80 miles per hour.

"That's probably the first time I've seen guys hitting 80 miles per hour, especially at 12-years-old, that's pretty phenomenal to see," said Canada manager Cole Warken. "It was a good challenge for these guys, especially to open up with a team like that in their first game."

He'd put on a similar performance to Panama starting pitcher Omar Vargas, who posted 12 strikeouts against 13 batters before being subbed after four innings. But there were a few key differences.

For one, Chen-Jun pitched an immaculate inning in the third, striking out three batters without throwing a ball or allowing a hit. Two, Chinese Taipei took him out of the game at 35 pitches, which allows him to maintain eligibility for next game.

He finished with nine strikeouts through 3 2/3 innings pitched and pitched an absurd 30 strikes through his 35 pitches, which computes to an 86% strike rate.

His closing pitchers picked up where he left off, as Chiu Tse-Wei and Cai Yuan-Hao combined for five strikeouts, zero walks and zero hits allowed. It was an incredible performance from the mound, and one of the best possible ways for a team to open a tournament.

When asked about the perfect game and how great of a start the team opened up with, Chinese Taipei manager Lee Cheng-Ta didn't pay it too much mind, stating that he was proud of his team but that this was more for the kids' enjoyment than anything.

"I want the kids to enjoy the atmosphere because in Asia Pacific, even in Taiwan, we never had so many fans to cheer for us and to watch," said Cheng-Ta through a translator. "So, we want the kinds to enjoy that. I'm glad we could come out at the good end and I'm happy for the kids and happy for the team."

Chinese Taipei will face off against the winner of Friday's matchup between Japan and Mexico next Monday, where it'll have a complete bullpen to choose from.