During the Japanese colonial period, Taiwanese baseball teams made multiple appearances in Japan's prestigious Koshien Tournament and, in the 1970s, clinched the coveted "Triple Crown" of baseball (i.e., winning the Little League, Junior League, and Senior League Baseball World Championships all in the same year), not once, but three times.
Taiwanese little league baseball gradually established its global presence, but the journey for men's teams proved more arduous and rocky. Despite relentless effort, victories at the Olympic Games, Baseball World Cup, and World Baseball Classic remained elusive.
In 2024, however, Taiwan secured the WBSC Premier12 title fifty years after snatching its first Triple Crown victory in 1974, adding a momentous chapter to the century-old history of Taiwanese baseball. Fans sang Taiwan Shang Yong, players battled bravely, and the coaching staff and support teams worked tirelessly, as together, they created a collective memory for the nation and a milestone for Team Taiwan. As long as the stadium lights shine and cheers from the stands resound, the glory of Taiwanese baseball will prevail.
Home Field — Baseball and Tainan
During the Japanese era, Tainan hosted Taiwan's first little league game and in the century since, the cheers that erupted in Tainan Park continue to reverberate throughout this city, which has become the epicenter of baseball in Taiwan, producing many outstanding players.
An original Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) team, the Uni-President 7-ELEVEN Lions have remained under the same ownership and never missed a season since the league's 1990 opening season. For 36 years, the club has been deeply involved in baseball locally in the city and the Tainan Baseball Stadium has seen generations of players and of avid, optimistic fans pass through its gates.
Based on Uni Shang Yong, Taiwan Shang Yong has become a beloved cheer sung by fans around the nation. During 2024-2025 international competitions, it displayed to the world the spirited support the people of Taiwan have for their teams.
Defining Moment — The Victory of 2024
At the beginning of the 2024 WBSC Premier12 tournament, Taiwan faced a series of tough battles and expectations for the team were low, but the unwavering tenacity of the players, coaching staff, support teams, cheer squads, and fans revealed the nation's fighting spirit and solidarity.
In the final championship on November 24, Taiwan faced Japan, one of sport's most formidable powerhouses as well as Taiwan's one-time mentor and arch rival. To Taiwan, it would be like a JV team facing a varsity team that also happened to once be its colonizer. In the end, Taiwan outclassed Japan in a 4-0 victory, seizing the Premier12 championship trophy. It was Taiwan's first-ever title in one of international baseball's three major tournaments, turning a new page in the nation's century-long baseball history and we all had the honor of take part in and witness that special moment.
THE CHAMPION— The Trophy
This was a historic moment for Taiwanese baseball. The dream of becoming world champions had finally been realized.
It wasn't just a single win in a single game. It was the culmination of decades of players, coaches, and fans wiping away tears of frustration, getting back up again after each knockdown, refusing to tap out. This triumph transcends history and the trophy belongs to everyone in Taiwan, to all who believe in baseball.
Raising that trophy gave us the right to hold our heads high again. It served as a beacon, beckoning those who had walked away, who had lost faith in Taiwanese baseball, to turn around, to come back.
As long as we are willing to believe, to step back onto the field, to keep singing Taiwan Shang Yong until the very end, victory can be ours.
Conclusion
When forming national teams in the past, Taiwan was obsessed with picking superstars and first-string players from the various clubs, but the most recent lineup was built using a more sensible and specialized selection and training process designed to assign players to the roles they know best, so that their skill sets could be leveraged optimally. This shows advances made in Taiwanese baseball and reflects our all-star team's new culture. This last international tournament showcased to the world the grit of Taiwanese athletes in the face of adversity and created a ripple effect by reigniting passion for the sport, which boosted attendance at professional baseball games, leading to higher salaries for players.
We look forward to the momentum carrying Taiwanese baseball forward, so the world can witness the quality and indomitable spirit of our league and also look forward to support from fans through both thick and thin. This sentiment was best expressed after the 2025 Qualifiers by CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-Chang who wrote: "You can't love them only when they're winning."