"Huh? South Korea lost to Japan 0-5?" Even Taiwan's ace was surprised.

*This content was translated by AI.

Lin Wei-min (23, Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks), the "ace" of the Taiwan national baseball team, also could not hide his surprise upon learning of the South Korea-Japan match result the previous day (the 25th).

The South Korean national team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, suffered a decisive 0-5 defeat against Japan in the Asian Games Super Round held on the 25th at Toyota City Citizen Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Having advanced through the opening round with three consecutive wins, the South Korean team now faces dark clouds over its gold medal hopes following this loss. For Taiwan, which had been tightly held by South Korea's pitching staff during their earlier head-to-head matchup and managed only a single hit in the ninth inning to lose 0-5, South Korea's lifeless shutout defeat was even more shocking.

According to a report by Taiwanese media ET Today, after finishing his game against China on the 25th — held simultaneously with the South Korea-Japan match — Lin Wei-min said, "When we faced South Korea, their batting was strong and their pitching staff completely shut down our lineup." He added, "So I thought the Japan-South Korea match would be a close contest, perhaps 2-1 or 3-2. Honestly, it's hard to believe that Japan beat South Korea 5-0." Yet he also smiled and remarked, "That's baseball. No one knows what will happen in baseball."

Meanwhile, the Taiwan national team continues to deliberate over its starting pitcher selection for the Japan match due to complex calculations involving TQB (Team Quality Balance). Although Lin Wei-min was initially expected to start, an unexpected result in the Japan-South Korea game altered the situation. For now, promising player Shih Shang-sheng, currently with Yakult of Nippon Professional Baseball, is scheduled to start against Japan on the 26th.

Regarding these developments, Lin Wei-min maintained a calm demeanor. He stated matter-of-factly, "In international tournaments, you never know when you'll be called to the mound, so you must adapt flexibly to the situation." He continued, "My physical condition and jet lag adjustment are already complete. Whether I start tomorrow or rest one more day makes no difference. My mental preparation is fully done; I'm ready to step onto the mound and fight." He expressed strong confidence.

Although he belongs to a Major League Baseball club, he has always readily responded whenever called upon by the national team, starting from the Hangzhou Asian Games, then Premier12, and the World Baseball Classic (WBC). He showed deep affection for Na Ra-reul (CEO). Lin Wei-min said, "As long as my physical condition holds up and my club grants permission, I will naturally participate with the national team." He added, "In the United States, I play alongside multinational teammates, but when I join the national team, everyone is a fellow Taiwanese player — old friends and seniors — so the team atmosphere is much better."

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

*This content was translated by AI.