The latest rankings of the International Baseball Federation have Chinese Taipei pegged in the No. 5 slot.
If they continue their winning ways at the World Baseball Challenge, expect that ranking to rise a notch or two.
Fresh from winning the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam, Holland, the Chinese Taipei team has to be considered one of the favourites to win the WBC, which starts Friday night at Prince George Citizen Field.
Even the high and mighty Cubans, ranked No. 1 by the IBaF, have felt the sting of Chinese Tapei in tournament play. Cuba lost three times to Chinese Taipei in the tournament, including a 5-4 defeat in Sunday's final, which ended in the 11th inning with a bases-loaded walk-off single from Huang Chih-pei.
The World Port event takes place every two years, starting in 1985, and Cuba won eight of the 12 previous tournaments. Chinese Tapei's win in Rotterdam was its first in the tournament's history.
"If anyone is thinking Cuba is going to coast to the World Baseball Challenge title, they might do well to think again," said Jim Swanson, the co-chair of the World Baseball Challenge committee.
"Chinese Taipei's win in Holland sent shockwaves through Cuba, and earned praise back home. Cuba will not want to let that happen again, and that's why Cuba is sending its very best team to Prince George. The fans here will be the real winners, getting to see those two teams, plus Toshiba-Japan, the Beijing Tigers, the Bahamas and of course the host team, Team Canada, in the highest level of baseball this country will see this year outside of the Toronto Blue Jays."
The first WBC game for Chinese Tapei is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. against the 65th-ranked Bahamas. The WBC lineup includes Cuba, Japan (the fourth-ranked IABF country), Team Canada (No. 8), and the Beijing Tigers, the top club team of China, which ranks 15th in the world.
Chinese Taipei has an explosive offence, scoring 51 runs while allowing just 17 runs in nine games in Rotterdam. A 4-2 loss to The Netherlands was their only World Port tournament defeat. One Chinese-Taipei player to watch at Citizen Field is second baseman Lin Han - the top hitter, most popular player and MVP of the World Port Tournament. Han belted out a tournament-best 14 hits, finishing with a .538 average, with one home run, five runs batted in, and seven runs scored.
The Chinese Taipei team was due to arrive in Prince George Wednesday evening.
The team includes -- Pitchers: Ching Lin Yu, Hao Cheng Hen, Hua Lin Chen, Chun Chiu Hao, Lin Kuo Chun, Kai Lai Po, Hsun Chen Yu, Han Lin Kuan, Yu Lin Po, Cheng Lai Hung, and Ju Chen Kuan; Catchers: Chieh Wang Chun, Wei Yang Kuan, and Mu Chen Jui; Infielders: Ting Lin Wei, Chih Chen Wei, Lin Han, Ting Hsiao Po, Han Yu Tsung, and Pei Huang Chih; Outfielders: Kun Huang Yi, Long Luo Guo, Wei Ho Tsu, and Yu Lin Chia.
Chen Chen Wei is the team manager, with Yuan Kuo Tai, Tsu Lu Ming, Yang Lee Shih, Lin Chung I and Hsun Hsieh Cheng serving as coaches. Ting Yi Lin will be the team's interpreter and the staff also includes trainers Chun Chi Chen and Po Chuan Chao.
The opening game of the tournament -- Cuba versus Beijing -- is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Tournament passes are available through Ticketmaster until today for $149 (bleacher seat) or $199 (reserved seat) for the entire event. To pick up purchased passes, or to buy single-game or full-day passes, go to Citizen Field tonight from 6 to 9 p.m.
