'Hanwha left-hander' Wang Yan-cheng failed in WBC 'shock' → Taiwan was more surprised! A former colleague said, "Why on earth wasn't it chosen?"

*This content was translated by AI.

Amid the announcement of the final list of the Taiwanese national team to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, there are unexpected reactions in the region over the fall of left-hander Wang Yancheng (25) from the KBO League Hanwha Eagles. In particular, his colleague, who watched him consistently during his Japanese days, was also shocked.

On the 6th, the WBC Organizing Committee released the final roster of 30 participating countries on the official website of the competition. According to this, Wang Yancheng was not named. The Taiwanese national team made up the list of 16 pitchers. The left-hander will take only three players, Lin Yu-min (23, Triple-A under the Arizona Diamondbacks), Chen Kwan-yu (36, Rakuten Monkeys), and Lin Wen (21, Double-A under the Athletics), who showed strong performance in the "Korean national team."

In particular, Lin Wen, who entered the U.S. stage ahead of the 2024 season, is a bullpen pitcher who evaluated that the official major league website is Blake Snell (34, LA Dodgers). He recorded 4 wins, 5 losses and a 3.72 ERA in 26 minor league games (13 starts) in the 2025 season.

In Taiwan, Wang Yancheng's failure to make the national team is also an issue. According to multiple media outlets such as Taiwan's TSNA, the news was reported to the Rakuten Monkees Spring Camp held in Taoyuan, Taiwan. "Wasn't Wang Yancheng really picked?" said Takaro Okajima (37), who is currently receiving training as a leader at the Monkeys after playing together with Wang Yancheng during his time with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB)? Why on earth?" he asked, expressing his embarrassment.

Wang Yancheng signed an international development contract with NPB Rakuten in 2019 and played until the 2025 season. In his last season in Japan, Wang Yancheng pitched in 22 second-tier league games and played 116 innings, recording 10 wins (second place in the Eastern League), 5 losses with a 3.26 ERA (third place in the Eastern League), and 84 strikeouts.

Okajima continued, "Wang Yancheng was a really sincere player. I wake up at 5 a.m. every day and practice. When I was active, I also came to the ballpark quickly, but Wang Yancheng had already finished practicing. It was really great," he recalled.

In particular, Wang Yancheng even participated in the training for the Taiwanese national team, which was convened from January 15, raising even more expectations. However, the final selection was defeated by players playing on the U.S. stage, including "Veteran" Chun Kwan-wi. Taiwan's Central News Agency also described the local atmosphere with surprise, saying, "The exclusion of Wang Yancheng's shortlist is an unexpected result."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.