◆2026 Taiwan-Japan baseball International Exchange Game Taiwan National Team 0-4 Softbank Hawks (26th, Taipei Dome)

Softbank Hawks pitcher Xu Ruoxi was named a hero after pitching well on the mound in his home town of Taiwan. In his first game since joining the team, he pitched three innings, allowing one hit and no runs. He hit a 156 km/h pitch on his first pitch to lead off the first inning, and struck out the batter with a 158 km/h second pitch, tying his career-high. He continued to hit pitches in the mid-150 km/h range after that. He also showed impressive speed variations with his curveball and change-up.

After the game, he said with a smile of relief, "I haven't been able to get into the best condition (until now), but I've been talking with my coach for a long time and finally I was able to get results today." When asked about his goals for his first year in Japanese baseball, he vowed, "I'll do my best to stay injury-free and stay in the rotation." He will next play in the WBC as a representative of Taiwan. "I'm sure all the fans will show me a great performance, so please support me," he promised with confidence.