Taiwan's Lee Hao-yu Continues Hitting Streak, Recalls Past Rivals Now in MLB

Taiwanese baseball player Lee Hao-yu is currently on a hot streak, extending his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games, a new record for Taiwan. Lee Hao-yu, who harbored professional overseas aspirations since high school, seized the opportunity this year to pursue his dream.

His journey includes participation in both the U12 and U18 World Cups. In the 2015 U12 World Cup held in Tainan, the Taiwanese team reached the championship game but lost to the United States. Many players from that Taiwanese team, including Lee Hao-yu and Lin Yu-min, continued their baseball careers abroad. The U.S. team from that tournament featured future MLB players like Nick Kurtz, who was a first-round draft pick, and Brady House.

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We were not expected to do well. I vaguely felt that the adults weren't very optimistic about us. It made sense, as our main players came from a single school, and the previous year's seniors had achieved great results.

Four years later, at the 2019 U18 World Cup, the Taiwanese team avenged their earlier loss by defeating the United States in the final. This Taiwanese squad is considered a golden generation, with all its members going on to play professionally. Their opponents from that U18 final included Pete Crow-Armstrong, now a star for the Chicago Cubs, and Tyler Soderstrom, Robert Hassell III, and Kyle Harrison, who have all reached the major leagues. Even the starting first baseman for the U.S. team in that game, Nolan McLean, is now a key player for the Mets and was the starting pitcher for the U.S. in the recent World Baseball Classic final.

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We just focused on the field, and in the end, we kept coming back to win against strong teams.