Many players with ties to Pacific League are selected for the Chinese Taipei national team.

The Japanese national team and the Chinese Taipei national team are in the same pool for the WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 2026. This year's Chinese Taipei national team includes players with ties to Pacific League, so attention is likely to be focused on how each player performs in the tournament.

This time, we will introduce the NPB performances of three players who have played in Pacific League in the past and three pitcher who are currently affiliated with Pacific League teams. We will look back at the achievements each player has shown in Pacific League, and hope to see them continue to excel in this tournament and beyond.

pitcher Chen Guangyu

Chen Gwang-Yu pitcher joined Yokohama DeNA in 2011, but due to an injury, he only pitched in one game for the first team in 2014. After a notice of withdrawal from the lineup, he moved to Chiba Lotte Marines and made his presence felt as a valuable left-handed starter in his first year with the team, ERA 3.23, winning five games in 14 appearances in 2015, his first year with the team. He was instrumental in supporting the starting rotation in the final stages of the season and contributed to the team's Class A ranking.

Since 2017, he has pitched in a wide range of roles as a valuable left fielder who can also handle long relief, recording four consecutive years of consistent ERA 3.00 results. He was a mainstay pitcher even after moving to the CPBL Rakuten Eagles Monkeys. He pitched in more than 50 games for two consecutive years starting in 2024 ERA and showed outstanding consistency, scoring one run The Marines and contributing to the team's 2025 championship. He has also contributed to a championship in 2025.

Wu Nien-ting

Wu Nien-ting joined Saitama Seibu Lions as the 7th pick in the 2015 draft and played in 43 games starting in her rookie year in 2016. Although her appearances were reduced to 15 games the following year in 2017, her batting average improved significantly from .194 the previous year to .231. Although she struggled in 2018, playing in only 8 games and not appearing in any first-team games in 2019, she showed signs of recovery in 2020, batting .227 in 51 games.

In 2021, he played in 130 games while playing first base, second base, third base, and outfield, reaching the required number of at-bats and recording a career-high batting average of .238, 10 Home Run, and 48 RBI. In 2022, he continued to demonstrate his versatility by playing in 94 games, and after transferring to the CPBL Taiko The Hawks in 2025, he was named the league's leading hitter. He continues to perform well to this day, utilizing the batting skills and excellent batting eye he developed in Japan.

pitcher

Zhang Yi pitcher joined Orix Buffaloes as the first pick in the 2016 development player draft. He was outfielder at the beginning of his professional career, but switched to pitcher in the middle of 2018, his second year as a professional. The following year, in 2019, he won the registration under control and appeared in 8 games, marking 2 wins, including his first professional win. The following year, in 2020, he appeared in 13 games, showing solid growth with a ERA of 4.31 and a strike out rate of 8.63.

In 2021, his strike out rate was high at 13.06 and his ERA was 13.06, but in 2022, he posted a career-best pitch of ERA 2.38 in 15 games. In the off-season of the same year, he transferred to Saitama Seibu Lions due to a breakdown, and struggled with a ERA 9.00 in 5 games, but even after moving to the CPBL Fubon Guardians, he appeared in 57 games in two years, and has made a solid mark as a fast right-hander who succeeded in making an unusual transition from fielder to pitcher.

Ruei-Yang Gu Lin pitcher

　pitcher Ruei-Yang Gu Lin recorded a 1.66 ERA in the CPBL in 2024, winning the title of best ERA and also being named the league's annual MVP. In the offseason of the same year, he transferred to Hokkaido Nippon-Ham via posting, but in his first appearance in Japan on April 23rd, he struggled, giving up 7 runs (5 earned runs) in 5.2 innings.

However, in his next appearance on May 1st, he pitched well, allowing only two runs in seven innings, earning his first NPB win, and on May 11th, he achieved the "Maddux" pitch with a spectacular shutout game win with no walk, using only 98 pitches. Due to injury, he only pitched in seven games in total this season, but he still posted excellent numbers in terms of indicators, with ERA of 3.62, strike out rate of 9.46, and a K/BB of 3.78, demonstrating his solid ability from his first year in Japan.

Yi-Lei Sun pitcher

　Yi-Lei Sun pitcher was the ace of the U18 national team, and in September 2023, at the young age of 18, he agreed to sign with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham as a developmental player. In 2024, his first year in Japan, he pitched 15 games for the second team and went 2-2 with a ERA 3.86 and strike out 8.42 strikeout rate, showing some of his abundant talent early on.

In the following year of 2025, he pitched in 15 games for the second team, ERA posting a 1.76 ERA and showing outstanding consistency, earning a spot on the manager's roster on May 22. He also pitched well in the Ichigun, pitching just 1 runs in his first 6 games and contributing 4 hold saves and 1 save to the team's win. His final season ERA was 5.11 and he also faced a wall in the Ichigun, but he had two starts from August onward and had a season in which he gained valuable experience at a young age.

Chun-Wei Chang pitcher

　Chun-Wei Chang pitcher signed a development contract with Fukuoka Softbank in the offseason of 2024 at the age of 18, marking his debut in the NPB. In his first year as a pro in 2025, he did not pitch in the minor leagues once, instead appearing mainly in regular season. He pitched 63 inning in 19 games, posting solid results with 5 wins, 4 losses, 1 ERA of 3.00. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to grow and be promoted to the main roster.

Keep an eye on the first match on March 6th

Chen pitcher, Wu Nengting and Zhang Yi pitcher all played for the Pacific League team for more than six years and were familiar to fans of their teams. Ruei-Yang Gu Lin pitcher We hope that the three players from Yi-Lei Sun pitcher, Chun-Wei Chang pitcher will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors who have been active on Pacific League and show their long-lasting success.

In addition to that, Xu Wakanxi pitcher, who will join Fukuoka Softbank this season, and Lin Anke, who also joined Saitama Seibu Lions, have been selected to represent Chinese Taipei in the WBC. This is a really interesting lineup for Pacific League fans, including the success of both players, who have both proven themselves in the CPBL.

The match between Japan and Chinese Taipei will be held on March 6 at Tokyo Dome. Please watch for a "reunion" with the players who once made their mark on the stage of Pacific League, as well as the promising future of the Pacific League warriors.

Text by Ryota Mochizuki