'If they had faced Korea, it would have been a disaster!' Taiwan's ace pitcher delivers 8 innings of scoreless ball with 10 strikeouts—crazy performance → Taiwan defeats China to win bronze medal

*This content was translated by AI.

The Taiwan national baseball team, led by the overwhelming performance of 'overseas left-handed ace' Lin Wei-min (23, Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks), completely defeated China and secured the bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

On the 27th, in the baseball bronze medal match of the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Okazaki Central General Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Taiwan defeated China 5-1 with a dazzling performance by starting pitcher Lin Wei-min and a concentrated burst of hits in the later innings. This success marks Taiwan's fourth bronze medal in Asian Games history (1 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze).

The undisputed hero of the day was starting pitcher Lin Wei-min. Making his first appearance at this Asian Games, the left-handed ace Lin Wei-min, in top condition, tightly held China's batting lineup. He started cleanly by retiring the side in the top of the first inning with just two strikeouts and two pitches. In the top of the fourth inning, he showcased a 'KKK' strikeout show, striking out China's 1st through 3rd batters consecutively.

China's batting lineup managed to get their first hit in the bottom of the sixth inning with a surprise bouncer, but they were blocked by Taiwan's smooth infield defense and Lin Wei-min's calm control ability, failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities for some time. Lin Wei-min allowed only one hit through eight innings, completing an overwhelming Quality Start Plus (QS+) performance of 8 innings, 1 hit allowed, 10 strikeouts, and scoreless pitching, firmly holding the mound.

In the batting lineup, Yang Bo-shiang's two-run, significant hit in the bottom of the second inning with two outs and runners on first and second bases gave Taiwan an early 2-0 lead. In the tense flow continuing into the bottom of the seventh inning, Taiwan's batting concentration exploded. With one out and runners on first and second, 'Captain' Chen Min-chu smashed a bases-clearing two-run double, extending the score to 4-0, followed immediately by Gao Yu-wei's consecutive doubles, driving the score to 5-0.

Taiwan brought in closer Wang Cheng-hao in the top of the ninth inning to close out the game. After allowing one run on consecutive hits and a walk with two outs, China avoided a shutout loss and attempted a comeback, but Lin Wei-min retired the final batter, Chao Jie, with a swinging strikeout, ending the game with a 5-1 victory.

Ultimately, for Taiwan, the 0-5 complete defeat against South Korea on the 21st was painful. At the same time, as South Korea was defeated by Japan, this also worked to Taiwan's disadvantage in the standings calculations. Meanwhile, South Korea and Japan are set to play a fateful gold medal match at 6:30 p.m. on the 27th.

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*This content was translated by AI.