For the first time in Taiwanese baseball history, the world No. 2 held the lead and won the title in one of the biggest international baseball competitions. China Taipei defeated Japan 4-0 in the final of the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS, bettering their previous best result achieved in 1992, with a silver medal at the Barcelona Summer Olympic Games.
“To be honest with you, this (result) was not expected,” said Chieh-Hsien Chen, captain of China Taipei.
Chen batted .625 with two home runs and six RBIs during the contest, and was named MVP of the 2024 WBSC Premier12 presented by RAXUS.
After winning China Taipei’s first ever senior title on Sunday, the 30-year-old star expressed optimism about how the team will benefit and how they will use it to win more regularly in future competitions.
“Since the first day of camp, our goal has remained the same: believe in ourselves and play as a team. We are a very close-knit team and no matter the result, we are going through it as a team,” Chen said after Chinese Taipei won the global baseball battle.
“This competition will definitely boost our confidence in our baseball abilities,” Chen added. “In the past, we were not always confident when we played against elite teams from around the world. Now our confidence level will increase and we believe that we can beat any team.”
Chen, a native of the southern city of Kaohsiung, began his baseball career in elementary school. After graduating from middle school, Chen went to study in Japan and played for Kyousei High School in Okayama. Chen returned to Taiwan after missing the NPB draft selection process and joined the amateur baseball club Tai Power.
“When I was in Japan, I learned to play baseball as a team and not as an individual. I was very impressed by my teammates and school friends and how dedicated they were to doing put the team first,” Chen said. “If I had been younger, I would have made Major League Baseball my goal because I wanted the world to learn about baseball in Taiwan.”
Chen was then drafted by the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the CPBL in 2016. Difficulties with his defense and injuries in the first few seasons did not allow him to perform and it was not until 2020, when his manaer Yueh-Ping Lin sent him to the outfield, which he found his place in the team. Along with the other two outfielders, Chih-Chieh Su and An-Ko Lin, the trio have been nicknamed “ghosts of the outfield” and are part of the team’s core lineup.
Chen himself started the Premier12 slowly, particularly in the exhibition matches where he did not perform to the expected level. However, as team captain, Chen quickly adjusted and hit a two-run home run in the first game against South Korea before hitting his only other home run in a key moment of his career, in the final, demonstrating the qualities expected in a captain.
“I think the reason I was chosen (by the manager) as captain was because he wanted me to do the same thing that I was doing with the Lions,” Chen said. “I thought I was a nobody in the past and never expected to win a world title. Now Chinese Taipei baseball players can stick out their chests and hold their heads high.”
