"Taiwan's 0-13 defeat in the match against Japan" Tear again, "Please don't criticize the player → I'm responsible."

*This content was translated by AI.

For Taiwan, the high wall of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) was high and rough. Taiwan's national baseball team collapsed in a cold game in the seventh inning without using any strength against its archrival Japan. Taiwan coach Chung Hao-jwi (47) showed tears during the game and at the press conference.

Taiwan suffered a crushing defeat against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 6th by a cold game in the 7th inning with 0-13 in the preliminary round C of the 2026 WBC first round. He allowed 10 runs in the second inning alone, giving up the win early, and Jang Wi-cheong was the only one to make a hit in the sixth inning in the crisis of no-hit. As many as 16 consecutive innings, he fell into a goalless quagmire.

With this defeat, Taiwan lost to Australia on the 5th and Japan on the 6th, losing two games and on the verge of elimination. After winning all the remaining matches against the Czech Republic and against South Korea / vs. Korea, he was in a position to watch the situation.

On this day, Taiwan collapsed without hesitation in the second inning. Starting with Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers)' grand slam, he allowed 10 runs in the second inning with seven hits. In the end, the fight was tilted, and he couldn't avoid the cold game. During the game, coach Chung Ha-ji was caught crying in the dugout on the broadcast screen.

Taiwan coach Chung Hao-ji's eyes were already red when he entered the official interview site after the game. "This defeat is actually very heavy and painful," he said. He said, "It is true that the batting has been sluggish since the start of the tournament. The players somehow desperately picked out the ball to get on base, but one shot did not explode at a critical moment," he said, swallowing regret.

Still, the head coach tried to find comfort. He also mentioned that Jang Jun-wei, who took the mound as a relief pitcher for the fourth time, pitched two ⅔ innings with one hit and no runs. Coach Chung Ha-ji said, "The fighting spirit of the players who did not feel discouraged even against the top major league hitters like Otani and played a head-to-head match on the day will be an asset of Taiwanese baseball in the future."

At the same time, all arrows of two consecutive losses were put on the manager himself. "No coach would want to suffer such a crushing defeat in an international tournament," he said. No matter what criticism the team gets, I have to stand at the front and bear the weight. I am solely responsible for the failure," he stressed.

Finally, coach Chung Hao-jwi said to Taiwanese fans, "The players poured all their energy into the stadium. Please don't disparage their efforts. Please don't blame the players. I left the interview room, leaving a tearful earnest request that "I will bear all the criticisms."

Now Taiwan has a match against the Czech Republic at 12 p.m. on the 7th and a against South Korea / vs. Korea at 12 p.m. on the 8th. In Taiwan, there is an atmosphere that the lowest should be avoided. Attention is also focusing on whether Taiwan, which was considered Korea's "biggest enemy," will be able to rebound in the remaining two games.

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*This content was translated by AI.