Taiwanese right-handed hard-throwing pitcher Koo Lin-Liu Yang (23-Tung Yi Lions) has stunned Japanese baseball. His perfect game in the sixth inning raised expectations for his future in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).굿모닝토토

Gurin-Liu Yang started against Japan in the first game of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) qualifiers at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on April 16 and pitched 6⅔ innings, allowing one run on three hits (one home run) while striking out two and walking one. She took the loss as Taiwan’s offense fell to 0-4, but she used the game to make a name for herself in Japan.

From the start of the first inning to the top of the sixth, she retired 16 consecutive batters. He kept his fastball up to 154 mph on short takeoffs, sliders and forkballs in the strike zone and kept the Japanese bats coming. He didn’t have many strikeouts, just two, but his fastball was working for him.

A double by Makoto Kadoki in the top of the sixth inning broke up the perfect game, and a solo home run by Shota Morishita in the seventh broke up a no-hitter, but Gurin-Liu’s pitching was enough to surprise Japan. Even the Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome applauded as he walked off the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Japanese media also gave Gurin-Liu a lot of coverage. “The 23-year-old Taiwanese pitcher who surprised Japan wants to challenge the NPB,” said Japanese baseball publication Full Count, adding, “We don’t know when he will pitch in the NPB, but it would be good to remember his name from now on.

In an official interview after the game, Taiwanese coach Chen Jin-feng said, “She was great. She pitched a 100-point game,” he said. Japanese manager Hirokazu Ibata said, “She gave up one run, but she was really good. She is a pitcher who can compete in the strike zone. There are few pitchers like her in Japan. He’s a pitcher who can take on the world.”

“As a player, I want to challenge myself on a much bigger stage. I want to play for a professional team in Japan and the major leagues in the United States. I want to go as soon as I get the chance,” she said, also revealing her dream of entering the NPB in the future.

The 6-foot-2, 183-pound right-handed orthodox pitcher made his debut with the Tung Yi Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in 2019. In his five-year career, he has started all 49 games and thrown 259 innings, compiling a 22-13 record with a 2.88 ERA and 248 strikeouts. In 13 games (80 innings) this year, he is 5-2 with a 1.80 ERA and 52 strikeouts. He has improved his command, reducing his walks to 1.7 per nine innings.

Recently named a CPBL All-Star for the second straight year, Gu Linliu Yang also pitched well against South Korea at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He was the second pitcher out of the bullpen after Lin Yumin, who entered in the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead against South Korea in the first preliminary game on March 2, and pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief with two strikeouts and no walks. He gave up a double to Noh Shih-hwan over the center-field fence, but retired the other six batters he faced in a 4-0 victory for Taiwan. After impressing against South Korea and Japan a month apart, Gurin-Liu Yang’s stock is soaring.