(Central News Agency reporter Xie Jingwen, New Taipei City, 8th) "Heisei Monster" Daisuke Matsuzaka attended the opening ceremony of the Yushan Cup in Taiwan today. Matsuzaka admitted that Taiwanese players have left a deep impression on him. Now working as a baseball commentator, he praised Xu Ruoxi for having great potential, stating that with more effort, he could become a very good pitcher. He also expressed anticipation for Lin Anke's performance.

The Yushan Cup high school baseball tournament serves as the selection event for this year's Asian High School Baseball Championship. The tournament will begin on the 11th. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Yushan Cup, Matsuzaka was invited to Taiwan for today's opening ceremony.

From his school days to his professional career, Matsuzaka has faced Taiwan in international competitions many times. He lost only once, during junior high school, and has not lost to Taiwan since.

Asked about his impressions of Taiwanese players, Matsuzaka named several, including Kuo Hong-chih (Hong-Chih Kuo), whom he faced in high school; Chen Chin-feng (Chin-Feng Chen), whom he faced in professional baseball; Tsao Chin-hui (Chin-Hui Tsao), whom he faced in the Olympics; and Chang Chih-chia, Hsu Ming-chieh, and Wu Nien-ting, who all played for the Seibu Lions. "Compared to other countries, the matches against Taiwanese players have left a particularly deep impression on me," he said.

Since retiring as a player, Matsuzaka has worked as a commentator. He mentioned that during spring training in February, he interviewed Xu Ruoxi, a pitcher who moved from Taiwan to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He praised Xu, saying, "He has good ball quality. Although he had a period where his performance wasn't ideal after turning professional, he has great innate potential and talent. I believe that if he continues to work hard, he can become a great pitcher and perform very well on the NPB stage."

Matsuzaka also paid special attention to players from his former team, the Seibu Lions. He mentioned Lin Anke, an outfielder currently playing for the Seibu Lions, saying, "I look forward to Lin Anke hitting many more hits." (Editor: Li Hengshan) 1150608

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  • Source: CNA (Central News Agency)
  • Category: Event