Taiwan on Sunday beat Australia 11-3 to advance to the 2024 WBSC Premier12 Super Round, finishing second in Group B to secure a place in the Premier12’s Super Round alongside group winners Japan, as well as the top two teams from Group A, the United States and Venezuela.
The 2024 WBSC Premier12 is being co-hosted by Mexico, Taiwan and Japan from Nov. 9 through Nov. 24, featuring the 12 highest-ranked national baseball teams in the world, based on the ranking system of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), baseball’s world governing body, as of the end of 2023.
What’s the difference between Premier12
Supporters hold Taiwan’s flag during the WBSC Premier12 Group B baseball game between Taiwan and Japan at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan on Nov. 16. 世界12強棒球賽B組台灣對日本之戰中，球迷手持國旗為台灣加油。11月16日攝於台灣台北巨蛋。
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
and World Baseball Classic?
The World Baseball Classic (WBC), which is sanctioned by WBSC and organized in partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), has become the most important international baseball tournament because of the participation of major league stars.
The four-year interval between the WBC tournaments inspired the WBSC to create the Premier12 to keep momentum. With the world ranking as qualifier, it is also held every four years and allows professional players to participate. The first edition of Premier12 tournament was held in 2015. Fans can watch top international games of the WBC or the Premier12 every two years.
Cheerleaders and supporters dance during the WBSC Premier12 Group B baseball game between Taiwan and Japan at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan on Nov. 16. 啦啦隊和球迷在台北巨蛋一起舞動，為比賽加油。11月16日攝於世界12強棒球賽B組台灣對日本之戰。
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
Despite both WBC and the Premier12 being top-level international tournaments, the MLB does not play a part in the Premier12. Due to MLB’s restriction that players on the 40-man roster cannot play in the Premier12, the popular MLB stars like Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish are not participating in the Premier12 tournaments.
Why is baseball so big in Taiwan?
According to a 2023 survey by the Sports Administration, baseball only accounts for 1.2 percent of the population of people engaged in sports in Taiwan. But with the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), Taiwan’s top-tier professional baseball league, once again having six teams standing this year, as well as the opening of the Taipei Dome, a larger audience has been attracted to the stadium. The average audience for the 360 regular season games reached 7,684, and the average size of CTBC Brothers’ home games audience exceeded 10,000 — both are record high since the start of the CPBL, making professional baseball an important economy in Taiwan’s domestic leisure industry.
Taiwan’s batter Dai Pei-Fong gets the first point by hitting a home run in the seventh inning during the WBSC Premier 12 Group B baseball game between Taiwan and Japan at the Taipei Dome in Taipei on Nov. 16. 世界12強棒球賽B組台灣對日本之戰中，台灣打者戴培峰在第7局擊出全壘打，拿下第1分。11月16日攝於台北巨蛋。
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
Looking back at the development of Taiwanese baseball, from the development of tournaments with various age stages to amateur baseball, and then to professionalization in 1990, Taiwanese baseball has gained many fans over time and formed its own unique culture. Even the cheerleaders on the sidelines have become a focus. A dedicated cheerleading team named CT AMAZE was formed for team Taiwan in this year’s Premier12, consisting of two cheerleaders from each of the six CPBL teams and eight members of the Ruby Girls from the Taiwan Sports Lottery Co, demonstrating the special culture of “cheerleading with Taiwanese characteristics.”
(Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
台灣週日以11-3擊敗澳洲，在2024年世界棒球12強賽（2024 WBSC Premier12）中確定進入複賽，以B組第二名之姿，與B組冠軍日本隊以及A組前兩名球隊美國及委內瑞拉共同晉級四強。
2024世界棒球12強賽，由墨西哥、台灣及日本在11月9日到11月24日共同舉辦。本屆賽事由2023年年終「世界棒壘球總會棒球世界排名」前12名的國家取得參賽資格。
12強、經典賽有什麼不同？
由美國職棒大聯盟主導的世界棒球經典賽，因為有大聯盟球星參賽，成為國際棒壇最重要的盛事。但它4年才舉辦一次，世界棒壘球總會（WBSC）希望維繫棒球熱潮，催生2015年開打的「世界棒球12強大賽」（Premier12），以世界排名為參賽資格，同樣開放職業球員參加，同樣每4年舉行一次，但與經典賽交錯，意味著球迷每2年就有經典賽或12強這樣的頂級國際賽可看。
雖然經典賽、12強同樣都是國際一級賽事，然而12強賽少了大聯盟支持，大聯盟規定40人名單內球員不能打12強賽，也因此大家熟悉的大谷翔平、達比修有等明星球員不會出賽。
台灣為何這麼瘋棒球？
根據體育署2023年調查，棒球僅占台灣運動人口比例的1.2%。然而中華職棒今年重回6隊規模，加上大巨蛋啟用，帶動觀眾進場，360場例行賽平均觀眾數達7684人，中信兄弟主場平均觀眾數破萬，皆創中職開打以來新高，是國內休閒產業重要經濟體。
回顧台灣棒球發展，從三級棒球發展到業餘成棒，再到1990年職業化，台灣棒球累積眾多球迷，也形成特別的文化景觀，連場邊啦啦隊都是焦點。本屆12強賽由中職6隊各2位啦啦隊成員，加上8位紅運少女組成台灣專屬應援啦啦隊CT AMAZE，展現特殊的「台式應援」文化。
（中央社）
