The World Baseball Classic began with an injury to one of the team captains. Chinese Taipei's Chieh-Hsien Chen had to exit the game early after being hit by a pitch.
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The incident occurred during the sixth inning of Wednesday's game between Chinese Taipei and Australia, which Australia won 3-0 with a strong defensive effort.
Jack O'Loughlin, a left-handed pitcher, wound up and threw toward Chen. As Chen went to swing, the 94-mph pitch hit his trailing hand. He immediately spun around, dropping the bat, and clutched his injured hand. He went to the ground before walking away from the batter's box and taking off his glove.
Taiwan's captain Chieh-Hsien Chen had to leave the game after getting hit by a pitch pic.twitter.com/6pzRa7I0O6
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 5, 2026
"You see with Chen, he has protection in the front hand," one of the commentators said as the training staff tended to Chen. "His right hand, bottom hand, but somehow, it happened to get his top hand. Which is a bit unusual."
This pitch knocked Chen out of what was his second World Baseball Classic appearance. 2023 served as his last time participating in the tournament. It also meant that the baseball team would have to substitute in another outfielder.
Chen delivered some scores during the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. He appeared in four games and had 15 at-bat appearances. He posted three hits, two RBIs, and three runs. As a defender, he posted four putouts in four defensive chances.
The team captain is not the only member of Chinese Taipei who did not have the opportunity to fully participate in the World Baseball Classic. The team had to remove Hao-Yu Lee from the roster due to a left oblique strain.
With Australia securing the win, the team will now move onto another matchup. The team will face off with the Czech Republic, who lost to South Korea 11-4 to open the World Baseball Classic. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei will face off with Japan.
