By Kung Nai-chieh
and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan.
Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points.
The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the bronze medal match.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s silver medal win at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 under coach Lee Lai-fa’s (李來發) leadership was their best performance in the history of the top three international baseball tournaments — the Olympics, Premier12 (formerly the Baseball World Cup) and World Baseball Classic.
Taiwan is set to finish at least second in this year’s Premier12, equaling its all-time best performance in 1992.
As Taiwan qualified for the championship game, each player would receive a reward of at least NT$5 million (US$153,407).
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
According to the Sports Administration’s Guo Guang Athletic Medals and Scholarships (國光體育獎章及獎助學金頒發辦法), the Premier12 is a Grade 1, Level 2 sports event, in which each player can receive a reward of NT$7 million for winning a gold medal, NT$5 million for silver and NT$3 million for bronze.
Additional reporting by Lin Yu-chen and Lin Yueh-fu