Was quadruple kicking this difficult? Taiwanese starting pitcher, who was left out of the draft and now plays for a semi-pro team, delivered a stunning 5-inning scoreless performance [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national team's lineup was completely tied down by an "unknown threat" that no one had anticipated. A 20-year-old semi-pro pitcher from Taiwan, who had not even been selected in the professional draft, dominated the mound with a five-inning performance allowing only one earned run — and it wasn't his own fault.

On the 21st, at the Baseball Field within Okazaki Central General Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, during the first Group B match of the "2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games" between South Korea and Taiwan, the surprise starting pitcher was 20-year-old right-handed traditional-style pitcher Lin Yi-wei (born in 2004, affiliated with Hezuo Savings Bank). Until just before the game, he remained an obscure pitcher completely unknown to Korean batters. In the 2024 Taiwanese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) rookie draft, he was not selected by any of the six teams and ultimately joined the prestigious semi-pro baseball team at Hezuo Savings Bank — making him a "professional __NAME_0" pitcher who had never been drafted.

However, once the game began, the flow of play turned out to be completely different from expectations. Lin Yi-wei, standing on the mound, employed a unique "quadruple kicking" motion that perfectly disrupted the timing of Korean batters. His irregular pitching form subtly split his tempo while lifting and lowering his leg, throwing off their balance. As a result, the South Korean national team's batters struggled to adjust their timing in the early innings. In fact, leadoff batter Kim Do-young was struck out in the bottom of the first inning.

What made him unfamiliar wasn't just his unusual pitching form. Lin Yi-wei established favorable counts based on his powerful pitches and precise control, boldly engaging in inside battles even against professional batters — proving that his skills honed in the semi-pro league were far from empty.

The South Korean lineup seized several scoring opportunities but managed to score only one run in the second inning. Lin Yi-wei induced a groundout by leadoff batter Moon Bo-kyung to the shortstop, but shortstop Yang Xiao-shiang committed an error on his throw to first base. He then allowed a hit to Kim Ju-won via a line drive to right field, putting South Korea in a dangerous situation with no outs and runners on first and third.

Lin Yi-wei appeared to catch his breath by getting follow-up batter Park Jun-soon out on a fly ball to second base, but he then issued a walk to Jo Hyung-woo, bringing the game to its most critical moment: bases loaded with one out. Ultimately, he allowed a sacrifice fly to left fielder Park Jae-hyun, giving up one run to South Korea.

However, that was all the runs Lin Yi-wei would allow. With two outs and runners on first and third, he calmly induced Kim Ji-chan into an outfield fly ball to right field, closing out the inning without allowing any additional runs. Throughout various high-pressure situations, Lin Yi-wei consistently forced batters into groundouts with aggressive pitching, firmly holding the mound through five innings. His final line: 5 innings, 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 1 earned run. It was unbelievable that a pitcher who had never even stepped onto a professional field could deliver such a performance against a national-level lineup. As soon as the bottom of the sixth inning began, Lin Yi-wei handed over the mound to Ryu Ju-rung.

The "unexpected huge variable" that the South Korean bench had feared before the game became reality exactly as predicted. Lin Yi-wei's irregular quadruple kicking motion and his unwavering head-on approach left a significant shock and challenge for the South Korean lineup.

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*This content was translated by AI.