"Lin Yu-min is not allowed to play" Taiwan's "mid 150km" Gurin Luyi has been selected! "I'll throw it as usual without any pressure.""

*This content was translated by AI.

Ahead of the doomed Korea-Japan match to advance to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) final round, the Taiwanese national team's mound plan has been outlined. In fact, right-hander ace Gurinrui Yang (26, Nippon Ham Fighters), who is active in the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB), is in a definitive mood, not left-hander Lin Yu-min (23, under the Arizona Diamondbacks), who was originally considered a "natural enemy" in against South Korea / vs. Korea.

Taiwan won the cold game 14-0 in the seventh inning with 15 hits against the Czech Republic in the third Group C match of the first round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held at Tokyo Dome, Japan at 12 p.m. on the 7th.

Taiwan, which bowed its head without scoring a single point in the previous match against Australia (0-3 loss) and Japan (0-13), continued its hope of advancing to the quarterfinals by succeeding in a two-game losing streak.

Taiwan's pitching management on the day seemed to have an effect on the against South Korea / vs. Korea on the 8th. Lin Yu-min became the second pitcher and pitched well with two hits and three strikeouts in two ⅓ innings. However, 30 pitches on the day should be given at least one day off according to the WBC regulations, making it impossible to take the mound on the against South Korea / vs. Korea of the 8th. Gurin Rui Yang's start was virtually confirmed as he failed to appear in the first round of the WBC with over 50 pitches on the 5th.

Taiwan coach Chung Hao-ji (47) also did not give an accurate answer to the starting pitcher for against South Korea / vs. Korea on the 8th. Although no official announcement was made, Gurinluyi received intensive questions from Taiwanese media in the mixed zone after the match against the Czech Republic. He showed a calm attitude about how he felt about taking on the heavy responsibility of selecting the against South Korea / vs. Korea and said, "There is nothing particularly different. I'm going to prepare and throw as I usually do. It's just one game after all. I'm trying not to feel too much pressure," he said.

Gurin Luyi, who dominated the Taiwan Professional Baseball League (CPBL) from the 2018 to 2024 season, moved to the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) ahead of the 2025 season. He played seven NPB games in the 2025 season, recording 2 wins, 2 losses and a 3.62 ERA. He is a threatening pitcher with strong fastball and sharp fork balls in the mid-150km/h range. From the WBC preparation process, there have been constant talks that the against South Korea / vs. Korea selection is likely. However, he was somewhat sluggish in a closed practice game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on February 21, recording three hits and two runs in two innings.

Even in the face of losing two consecutive games, Gurinrui revealed that she is strengthening the team's atmosphere through conversations with her teammates. "All the team members are doing their best, and their efforts deserve sufficient applause," he said, expressing strong trust in his colleagues.

Gurinrui said she was deeply moved by the enthusiastic support of Taiwanese fans filling the Tokyo Dome during this tournament. "Whenever I hear the cheers of the fans, I get so much strength that I get emotional," he said. I want to repay them with good results so that they can feel the reward of coming here," he added.

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*This content was translated by AI.