A practice match between the Taiwanese national baseball team and the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) ended in a 2-2 draw on February 21, 2026, at the Taipei Dome in Taiwan, according to reports from Taiwan’s ET Today, TSNA, and Yahoo Sports.
The game featured a surprisingly challenging performance from Gu Linrui-liang, a pitcher for Nippon Ham Fighters who likewise has ties to Doosan Bears’ Kwak Bin, against the KBO’s last-place team. Gu Linruiyang, slated to be a key pitcher for Taiwan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC), allowed three hits and two runs in two innings of play. This performance is being viewed as potentially favorable news for the Republic of Korea national team as they prepare to face Taiwan in the WBC this March.
Despite utilizing a strong batting lineup including former major league players Jang Yu-cheng and Chen Jie-hsien, the Taiwanese team was limited to just two runs due to the Kiwoom Heroes’ pitching rotation. Taiwan managed a total of six hits and seven walks, but failed to capitalize with a decisive hit. The Kiwoom Heroes employed seven pitchers, accumulating nine strikeouts.
Taiwan managed to avoid defeat thanks to a timely hit from Zhang Yu-cheng (two hits, one RBI) in the later innings, after deploying their main pitchers, including Hu Zhiwei and Sun Yi-lei, to prevent further scoring. Sun Yi-lei, also of Nippon Ham Fighters, reached a maximum fastball speed of 155 km/h during his one inning of work.
Taiwan’s coach, Zeng Hao-ju, stated after the game that the pitching staff’s performance was “satisfactory,” even as acknowledging that the batters were “gradual” to adjust to pitching changes. He expressed confidence that the team would find its rhythm as they approach game condition.
Details of the game were limited, with the starting lineup and a full score sheet not released to the Taiwanese media. Only the number of hits for each team and brief details regarding the pitchers’ performances were made available.
The Kiwoom Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, and are a member of the KBO League. The team was previously known as the Woori Heroes, Seoul Heroes, and Nexen Heroes, according to Wikipedia.