The South Korean baseball team is set to face Taiwan on September 21 in the group stage of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Reports indicate that the absence of starting pitcher Wang Yen-cheng from the lineup is due to prior coordination between the Taiwanese team and Hanwha Eagles.
According to Yonhap News, Taiwanese media outlets such as TVBS reported that "Wang Yen-cheng's participation in the tournament is subject to restrictions set by his team." They noted that manager Tang Den-kai had to carefully consider how to utilize Wang, ultimately deciding to start Lin Yi-wei, a pitcher unfamiliar to Korean batters. Wang has made 26 appearances in the KBO League this season, achieving an 11-6 record with a 3.97 ERA.
A Hanwha official explained to Yonhap, "Major League Baseball teams often negotiate conditions with national teams regarding the participation of overseas players in international competitions like the Asian Games to protect the players and maintain team strength. Our team also discussed Wang Yen-cheng's call-up with the Taiwanese team and reached an agreement." The official added that the team proposed several options to the Taiwanese team, which ultimately chose one, although specific details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has announced Lin Yi-wei as their starting pitcher against South Korea. Initially, local media speculated that Wang Yen-cheng would take the mound, but Lin's unexpected selection has drawn attention. Lin is a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher playing for a corporate baseball team.
Left-handed pitcher Lin Yu-min, who performed well against South Korea in the Hangzhou Asian Games, joined the team in Japan on September 19 but was excluded due to concerns about physical strain. South Korea will send ace Kwak Bin to the mound for the game against Taiwan.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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