At the World Baseball Classic, thousands of fans from Taiwan have filled the Tokyo Dome, donning blue team colors and creating a vibrant atmosphere with horns and songs. They supported the team through all three games so far. Taiwan suffered losses to Australia and Japan but secured a 14-0 win over the Czech Republic.
In Pool C of the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome, Taiwan's team, officially competing as Chinese Taipei, has drawn significant attention from enthusiastic fans. Tens of thousands of Taiwanese supporters, clad in blue, have filled the venue, blowing trumpets, chanting for players, and featuring cheerleaders dancing on stage during games.
The team lost its opener 0-3 to Australia and was defeated 13-0 by Japan on Friday, with the game ending early under the mercy rule due to the large margin. However, on Saturday, Taiwan won 14-0 against the Czech Republic, also invoking the mercy rule and keeping quarter-final hopes alive.
Mark Ling, a 46-year-old dentist, told AFP that baseball enjoys "insane" popularity in Taiwan. "It was very difficult to buy any tickets for this series," he said right after a home run against the Czechs boosted the stadium's noise. Over 40,000 fans attended the opening game against Australia, with the vast majority backing Taiwan.
Taiwan enters the tournament ranked second globally, though doubts persist about the ranking's accuracy. Baseball was introduced to the island during Japanese rule in the late 19th century and is now the national sport. Notable figures include Sadaharu Oh, an ethnic Taiwanese born in Tokyo who holds the world record for career home runs. The roster features US-born Stuart Fairchild of the Cleveland Guardians, whose mother was born in Taiwan. "The fans have been incredible, they've travelled in droves," the 29-year-old said. "Even though the first couple of games didn't go the way we wanted to, they still came today and have shown us nothing but support."
Fan Sun Chun-chieh, 41, recalled Taiwan's first international title at the Premier12 in November 2024, won against Japan at Tokyo Dome. That victory led to F-16 jets escorting the team home and a parade in Taipei, covered by newspapers for a week. "Every athlete came back like a hero," he said. Ling added that the Classic is "the highest level in baseball" and emphasized enjoying the competition over results. "We love to see the competition between the teams. Winning or losing is maybe not the most important thing we care about."
