(CNA reporter Su Chih-Yu, Taipei, 11th) After today's home game of the Nippon-Ham Fighters, the iconic song 'Chong Chong Chong' by Taiwanese singer Wu Bai echoed through the stadium. Sun Yi-Lei, the 21-year-old Taiwanese pitcher who secured his first professional win, stepped onto the hero interview stage, but due to extreme nervousness, completely forgot all the Japanese he had prepared.

Playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Sun Yi-Lei chose 'Chong Chong Chong' as his entrance theme. Today, against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, he pitched six innings with eight strikeouts and no runs allowed—his best performance to date—leading his team to a 3-0 victory. As a result, Sun earned his first career win in NPB's top division.

After the game, during the hero interview, Sun expressed his feelings about his first win in Japanese, saying 'Thank you.' He shared his pitching strategy: 'I focused on throwing strikes and letting the batters swing, trusting my stuff.' He added, 'The feel for my fastball today was much better than in the minor league—it was my best pitch today, and I threw it many times.'

Sun exited after six scoreless innings with the game still tied 0-0, but his teammates scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, securing his win eligibility. Sun reflected, 'After finishing the sixth inning, I felt we would score in the next half-inning. Once the runs came in, I felt extremely relaxed.'

Compared to last year, when he answered hero interviews almost entirely in Japanese, Sun responded mostly in Mandarin today, drawing attention. Smiling, he explained, 'I was so nervous—I forgot all the Japanese I knew, so I just spoke in Chinese.' Nevertheless, he concluded by addressing the fans in Japanese, thanking them for their support and urging them to cheer for the Fighters again tomorrow. (Edited by Chang Ya-Ching) 1150611

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