TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To warm up for the Premier 12 baseball tournament later this month, Team Taiwan hosted the national baseball team from the Czech Republic for two friendly matches at the Taipei Dome this weekend.
On Saturday (Nov. 2), the game opened with a lineup introduction that saw Czech player Marek Chlup walk on the field draped in a Taiwanese flag. This was followed by the captain of Taiwan's team, Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲). walk out carrying the Czech flag, reported CNA.
Saturday’s match ended in with a tied score of 2 to 2, with Czech scoring two points early on, and Taiwan equalizing to reach a draw in the later innings. On Sunday (Nov. 3), Taiwan secured a win of 10 to 3, after a remarkable sixth inning with 6 runs, followed by a steady performance through the last three innings.
Fans enjoyed seeing both teams compete as Team Taiwan prepares for the Premier 12 tournament. The crowd was eager to see starting pitcher Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) and catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正), who both play overseas for the Arzona Diamondbacks. In Saturday’s game, Lin Yu-min was able to pitch a no-hit inning, and also clocked a fastball at 150 kilometers per hour, reported CNA.

The Czech team, led by Coach Pavil Chadim, arrived in Taiwan on Thursday (Oct. 31) and were able to do some sightseeing over the weekend in addition to the exhibition games. The team made a trip to Taipei 101 and also got to meet President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) at the Presidential Office Building, per CNA.

On Sunday before the game, several of the Czech players decided to wear their uniforms and explore Taipei. It was an excellent opportunity for photographs of the Czech players experiencing local Taiwanese culture.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Coach Chadim expressed his gratitude for Taiwan hosting the games and providing the players with high-intensity practice matches. The Czech team will next head to Japan, where they will also have some friendly exhibition matches with the Japanese team, reported CNA.
Although the Czech team is not joining the Premier 12 tournament this year, Chadim said he hopes to have the chance to face-off against Team Taiwan in a Premier 12 game in the future.
Team Taiwan will face South Korea in their first game of the Premier 12 tournament on Nov. 13 at Taipei Dome.
