00:01After claiming eternal glory and a first international title at the Premier 12 baseball tournament in 2024,
00:08Taiwan's men's national team is back at it.
00:11The players are getting ready once again to prove that the country is a global baseball powerhouse at the World
00:17Baseball Classic next month.
00:21But the road ahead is not easy.
00:23The team currently ranked second in the world will head to Tokyo for the tournament's initial group stage round.
00:30It's been drawn in pool C alongside Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Czech Republic.
00:37Japan is ranked first in the world and South Korea is two spots behind Taiwan in fourth.
00:56With only two teams from each of the tournament's four groups allowed to advance,
01:02Taiwan's ticket to the quarterfinals is by no means a sure thing.
01:07But the players are hard at work, both in the batter's box and on the pitcher's mound.
01:13While power at the plate is always the key to winning games, pitching plays an equally important role.
01:19Each pitcher can only toss up to 65 balls per game, which is a challenge to figuring out Taiwan's rotation.
01:27But analysts think the squad's pitching roster is strong enough for a decent showing at the WBC.
01:43With a mix of players from domestic and foreign leagues, Taiwan's lineup is diverse and experienced.
01:50Baseball is a sport of uncertainty and anything can happen.
01:54But for these players and Taiwan, winning it all is the only thing on their minds.
02:00The team kicks off its campaign against Australia on March 4th,
02:04the first step toward a place in the championship game in Miami on March 17th.
02:09Leon Lin and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
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