WBSC Premier12 | Chinese Taipei wins its first ever world title with a 4-0 rout of Japan. USA wins bronze after beating Venezuela 6-1

BUNKYO CITY, Tokyo - In a sold-out Tokyo Dome for the second straight night, Chinese Taipei made history, blanking defending champion Japan 4-0 to claim the biggest title in its history in international baseball with the championship of the WBSC Premier12 presented by RAXUS on Sunday night.

Box score

It was a historic night as Chinese Taipei not only secured its first world title but also defeated the world's top team by shutting out Japan on its home ground. This victory ended Japan's 27-game international winning streak that began in 2019 and avenged a 1-0 loss in the final of the 2023 Asian Championship.

"I want to extend my congratulations to everyone and express my deep gratitude to the players, who performed excellently until the end," said Taipei manager Tseng Hao-Jiu following the game. "Competing alongside them as a manager is a great honor for me."

Meanwhile, Japan's manager Hirokazu Ibata did not criticize his team or players and solely held himself accountable for the defeat.

"From the first match to today, there were nine games," Ibata stated. "I believe the players performed exceptionally well. I hold myself fully accountable for not winning the final game, and I deeply regret it for the players."

It turned out to be an ideal night for the victors. Taipei had all the elements in place: an excellent start from their star pitcher, left-hander Yu-Min Li, who held Samurai Japan scoreless for four innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. The bullpen then performed nearly flawlessly, pitching five innings with only three hits, five strikeouts, and no walks.

The essential offensive support arrived in just one inning, the fifth, where two home runs proved overwhelming for Japan. On this Sunday night, Japan couldn't defeat its opponent, despite having won against them twice in the tournament, including once merely 24 hours earlier.

Chinese Taipei's victory marks the third title for Asian teams in the Premier12 tournaments, with previous wins by South Korea in 2015 and Japan in 2019. Although Japan lost, they ended the tournament with the best record, 8-1, reaffirming their global dominance and securing their third medal in consecutive Premier12 editions.

At the end of the match, Chieh-Hsien Chen, the captain of Chinese Taipei and the standout player of the game, was deservedly awarded the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Chen played a vital role not only in Sunday's victory but also consistently excelled throughout the tournament, achieving an impressive .625/.700/.917 offensive line with 15 hits, two home runs, five runs scored, and six RBIs.

"I'm extremely thankful," Chen stated at the press conference. "Emerging victorious against a strong team is a highly rewarding experience for me."

"Togo is an excellent pitcher, and I was familiar with him from previous encounters," he mentioned. "I was determined to win the battle and had faith in my chances."

The game

In the first two innings, both starting pitchers, Japan's right-hander Shoei Togo and Taipei's left-hander Yu-Min Li, appeared focused. Chinese Taipei made its initial threat in the top of the third inning.

With two outs, Chen Chen-Wei drew a walk, and Lin Li hit a single to right field, advancing Chen to third base. However, Togo swiftly neutralized the threat by getting Chen Chieh-Hsien to ground out to the shortstop, which forced the runner at second base.

Japan would hit their first hit leading off the bottom of the third inning, off the bat of shortstop Sosuke Genda. Keita Sano would give up the first out on a fly out to second base, but starter Yu-Min Lin would get into more trouble, walking Shogo Sakakura. However, Japan would also see their first opportunity with a runner in scoring position thwarted, when Masayuki Kuwahara struck out and the always clutch, Kaito Kozono, popped out to center for the third out.

In the fourth inning, Japan began with a walk to Ryosuke Tatsumi, but Lin efficiently handled Shota Morishita, Ryoya Kurihara, and Shugo Maki consecutively. Morishita and Kurihara were both retired on fly balls to center field, while Maki was out on a grounder to second base, where Tung-Hua Yueh made an impressive diving catch to his left and threw Maki out at first.

Finally, Taipei opened the scoring when Chia-Cheng Lin hit a home run deep into right field in the top of the fifth inning, igniting excitement among the large crowd of Taipei's fans in the stadium.

However, this was merely the beginning of a larger rally in the inning. After Cheng-Yu Chang struck out, Chen-Wei Chen hit a single and advanced to second base following a walk to Lin Li. Togo received a visit from his coach before the next at-bat, but it didn't make a difference as Chen Chieh-Hsien hit a three-run home run to right field, securing a 4-0 lead for Taipei that they held onto for the rest of the game.

After four strong innings, Lin turned the game over to the bullpen in the fifth. The left-hander delivered 69 pitches, 41 of which were strikes, allowing only one Japanese player to reach scoring position, while giving up two walks on one hit and striking out three. Most crucially, his team had provided excellent offensive backing, and it was now up to the bullpen to preserve it.

In the fifth inning, reliever Chang Yi allowed two singles with two outs but prevented Japan from scoring by getting Kozono to ground out to first baseman Chief-Kai Pan. Surprisingly, this would be Japan's final significant threat in the game.

For Japan, starter Togo did not come back for the sixth inning. He completed five innings, throwing 95 pitches with seven strikeouts, two walks, and allowing four runs. The fifth inning proved to be especially difficult, ranking as the two most troublesome in the game, primarily because Togo couldn't keep the ball in the ballpark, the main reason of Japan's defeat.

In the sixth inning for Taipei, reliever Yi improved significantly, retiring the side in order, including strikeouts against Tatsumi and Kurihara, bringing Taipei just nine outs from securing its first world title.

In the seventh, Taipei was close to knocking Japan out of the game. Chen-Wei Chen and Lin Li started the inning with singles, suggesting the team might soon increase their lead. However, reliever Shishiro Sumida thwarted the threat by striking out Chieh-Hsien Chen and An-Ko Lin. He finished the inning by getting Pan Chieh-Kai to ground out to shortstop. Although the play was initially ruled safe at first base, a video review overturned the call, confirming it as an out and maintaining the score.

Meanwhile, Taipei's bullpen, featuring right-hander Chang and left-hander Kuan-Yu Chen, was tasked with minimizing Japan's offense—a team that appeared unbeatable and unstoppable prior to the final, averaging 9.5 runs in its last four games. Following Kuwahara's hit in the fifth inning, both relievers impressively retired ten consecutive batters, recording five strikeouts, mirroring the outstanding performance of the Taiwanese starter.

In the ninth inning, the streak ended when Tatsumi hit a single to right off closer Cheng-Yu Chang. Chang then got Morishita to ground out, advancing Tatsumi to second. Kurihara hit a sharp line drive to first base, but the first baseman turned a double play, sparking celebrations among the players in a nation where baseball is a beloved passion.

CHINESE TAIPEI - JAPAN - Highlights

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USA 6, Venezuela 1

Early in the afternoon for the bronze medal, Team USA disposed of Venezuela 6-1, riding on the arm of starter Casey Lawrence and the offense of Carson Williams with three RBIs.

Box score

The medal was the second for the Americans in Premier12 editions, following their silver medal at the inaugural edition in 2015.

USA - VENEZUELA - Highlights

At the end of the title game, the tournament's All-Star roster was announced, dominated basically by the four teams that advanced to the Super Round of the tournament.

Cuba did not place any of its players in the All-Star roster.

The next edition of the Premier12 will be in 2027, with the incentive of a larger tournament after the exponential success of the three previous editions.