Taiwan's men's national team is set to play Spain at the Taipei Dome, in its opening World Baseball Classic qualifying match on Friday.
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00:00Team Taiwan, Taiwan No. 1!
00:02Go, China!
00:05It has just been a few months since Taiwan claimed championship
00:08at the WBSE Premier 12 Baseball Tournament in Japan.
00:11And now the team is set to take the field against Spain
00:14in the home team's first match of the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers here in Taipei.
00:21At stake, a spot in the WBSE Tournament next year.
00:24Taiwan's baseball fans have high hopes for the team,
00:27which will be playing under the name Chinese Taipei.
00:48For the first match, Team Taiwan made a last-minute decision
00:51to send Chen Yuhong, known for his submarine pitches,
00:54to the mound as the starting pitcher.
00:57Chen is currently a player for the TSG Hawks in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
01:02He was originally a backup, but ultimately secured a spot
01:05on the final 28-man roster for the games
01:08after his outstanding performances in a warm-up match against South Korea.
01:24However, many fans are worried about the team's prospects,
01:27as Spain has already dominated in three warm-up matches
01:30since they arrived in Taiwan.
01:32But the Team Taiwan manager says the team will give it their all at the match.
01:55This match against Spain could be a big challenge,
01:58but Team Taiwan is determined to win.
02:01The players feel that this first win could give them the momentum needed
02:04for a successful tournament run and hopefully a ticket to the main event.
02:08Patrick Chen and Sunny Chi in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.