Taiwan’s international baseball presence continues to gain momentum as the Taiwan Ocean Team secured a 5-4 victory over Korea in the ongoing Winter League tournament. The win was bolstered by an impressive debut performance from 19-year-old pitching prospect Chiu Li-hsuan, who showcased both resilience and raw talent despite allowing a first-inning home run.Chiu’s composure and ability to quickly recover highlight a promising career for the young athlete, recently drafted by the Tai steel Eagles.
Taiwan Ocean Team pitcher Chiu Li-hsuan struck out three batters. (CPBL provided)
〔Reporter Kung Nai-jie / Chiayi Report〕19-year-old Tai Steel Eagles prospect Chiu Li-hsuan made his Winter League debut, following up a dominant 1.2-inning outing against a Japanese corporate league team on December 15th with another impressive performance against the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) squad today. Despite surrendering a home run to fourth-place hitter Yoon Jun-hyo, Chiu delivered two strong innings with three strikeouts, securing a crucial middle-relief victory. Ultimately, the Taiwan Ocean Team prevailed 5-4 over the KBO team, earning their second consecutive win in the tournament.
Chiu Li-hsuan, who graduated from Pingzhen High School just this past June, has focused on training since joining the Tai Steel Eagles and has yet to appear in a second-team game. Making his first appearance in the 4th inning, he immediately showcased his potential, striking out leadoff hitter Lee Jae-won. However, his first pitch to Yoon Jun-hyo was crushed for a home run to left field, a sobering introduction to the professional level. Remarkably, Chiu’s initial reaction to giving up the home run was, “I was actually happy.”
The reason? Throughout his pitching career at Pingzhen High School, Chiu Li-hsuan had never allowed a home run in a competitive game. To have it happen in his first Winter League appearance was a shock. “I left the pitch too much over the plate, so it was bound to happen. It was a bit of a wake-up call. But it was just one run, and we were still ahead, so I just focused on not letting them score again.” Chiu then proceeded to retire the next five batters he faced, including a 1-2-3 fifth inning, earning praise from head coach Lin Zhen-hsien, who lauded his composure: “He has a lot of guts.”
Despite being projected as a potential top-two pick in the draft, Chiu was ultimately selected by the Tai Steel Eagles in the third round. Undeterred, he immediately set ambitious goals for himself, starting with reaching a fastball velocity of 155 kilometers per hour. He also aspires to follow in the footsteps of fellow Pingzhen High School alumni Gu Lin Rui-xuan and Hsu Yu-hsi, stating, “In four or five years, I hope to be pitching in Japan or the United States.”
Tai Steel Eagles’ second-team development coach, Fukuyoshi Haru, ignited Chiu Li-hsuan’s dream of playing abroad. Observing his pitching during training, Fukuyoshi noted a striking resemblance to Hsu Yu-hsi and promised to help him pursue a similar path. While his fastball topped out at 145 kilometers per hour today, Chiu wasn’t entirely satisfied. “I threw 149 kilometers per hour in my last high school game, so at this point in the season, I think I should be hitting at least 148, if not faster. I’ll continue to work on my physical conditioning to see if I can increase my velocity.”
Lin Zhen-hsien also pointed out that Chiu Li-hsuan has excellent control of his breaking pitches, and that increasing his fastball velocity would make those pitches even more effective, suggesting a potentially limitless ceiling for the young pitcher.
Gu Lin Rui-xuan and Hsu Yu-hsi are Chiu Li-hsuan’s idols, but he jokingly revealed his ultimate role model: “Lin Wei-en is my number one.” He explained, “He’s always willing to share his knowledge with me on things like pitch selection, and he’s very open to hearing my thoughts. I really admire him.” His words were filled with respect for the talented left-handed pitcher.
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