LOUD AND PROUD
Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans
Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs.
Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday.
They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game.
Photo: AFP
The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with early losses to Australia and Japan, but they stomped the Czech Republic 14-0 for their first win yesterday.
Mark Ling, a 46-year-old dentist who had tickets for two of Taiwan’s games, said that baseball enjoyed “insane” popularity in Taiwan.
“It was very difficult to buy any tickets for this series,” he said, after a home run against the Czechs drowned the stadium in cheering.
Photo: AFP
“It’s what I expected, that everyone would come to Tokyo and cheer for the Taiwan tea,” he said. “I’m not surprised.”
More than 40,000 fans watched Taiwan’s opening game against Australia on Thursday, with the vast majority supporting Taiwan.
All games in Pool C are being played at the Tokyo Dome, where Taiwan has a storied past.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
They won their first international title there when they triumphed at the Premier12 in November 2024, beating Japan in the final, sparking wild celebrations at home.
Fighter aircraft flew as an honor guard as the team returned to Taiwan, where a parade was held through the streets of the capital Taipei.
“Every newspaper reported the event for maybe a week,” said 41-year-old Sun Chun-chieh. “Every athlete came back like a hero.”
Baseball came to Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule in the late 19th century and is considered to be the national sport.
The island has produced some notable players, including the legendary Sadaharu Oh, an ethnic
Taiwanese who was born in Tokyo and holds the world record for career home runs.
The World Baseball Classic team includes US-born Stuart Fairchild of the Cleveland Guardians, whose mother was born in Taiwan.
“The fans have been incredible, they’ve travelled in droves,” said the 29-year-old. “Even though the first couple of games didn’t go the way we wanted to, they still came today and have shown us nothing but support.”
Taiwan went into the tournament ranked number two in the world, although few believe that is an accurate ranking.
They lost 3-0 to Australia in their opener before being thrashed 13-0 by Japan in a game that was cut short under the mercy rule because Japan were so far ahead.
Taiwan kept their hopes of a quarter-final place alive with a formidable win over the Czech team, which also ended early under the mercy rule.
Ling said the World Baseball Classic was “the highest level in baseball” and promised to enjoy the party regardless of the result.
“We love to see the competition between the teams,” he said. “Winning or losing is maybe not the most important thing we care about.”
AloJapan.com