Chinese Taipei lost to the last-place Korean Professional Baseball team, Kiwoom Heroes; Korean media shocked: How could this happen? Not a full-strength lineup played.

In the 2026 World Baseball Classic warm-up games, Chinese Taipei played two closed matches against the Korean Kiwoom Heroes, finishing with one draw and one defeat. The outcome shocked Korean media, with headlines questioning "How could this happen?" while also mentioning that Chinese Taipei did not compete with their complete main lineup.

Chinese Taipei played warm-up games against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 21st and 22nd, and per mutual agreement, the match details and results were not publicly disclosed.

However, the Chinese Professional Baseball League provided daily game summaries. On the 21st, Chinese Taipei tied 2-2 with their opponent. Starter Koo Lin-yang allowed 3 hits and 2 runs over two innings; Cheng Hao-chun pitched two scoreless innings with 2 hits allowed and 2 strikeouts; Hu Chih-wei threw 25 pitches in two innings, striking out 4; Lin Shih-hsiang, Tseng Chun-yueh, and Sun Yi-lei each pitched a scoreless inning, with Sun achieving a perfect inning including a strikeout and throwing the fastest pitch of the game at 155 km/h.

On the 22nd, Chinese Taipei lost 2-7. Starter Lee Dong-hyung gave up 3 hits and 1 run in the first inning; Chuang Hsin-yen came in during the third inning and allowed 2 hits and 1 run; Wei Hung-liang, after two outs in the fourth inning, issued a walk and a hit-by-pitch, then gave up 2 more hits leading to 3 runs; Chang Chun-wei pitched in the sixth inning, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs over two innings, one run unearned due to a defensive error, and another run scored after a walk; his fastest pitch reached 155 km/h. The final pitcher, Lin Kai-wei, threw 14 clean pitches with no runs allowed despite giving up one hit, with a top speed of 151 km/h.

Korean media found it unbelievable that Chinese Taipei lost to last year's bottom-ranked Korean team, the Kiwoom Heroes, with some outlets describing the result as "How could this happen?".

However, Korean media also pointed out that Chinese Taipei did not field a full roster this time, focusing mainly on helping players regain game feel. Since some relief pitchers gave up multiple runs to the Heroes’ lineup, the loss should not be overanalyzed.

According to the reports, among the six pitchers who appeared on the 22nd, five were relief pitchers rather than official national team members, considered "support pitchers." For example, starter Lee Dong-hyung, third-inning pitcher Chuang Hsin-yen, and fourth-inning pitcher Wei Hung-liang were all support pitchers.

Head coach Tseng Hao-chu said after the game that some pitchers were making their first appearances since spring training and their consistency is still being adjusted; they also need time to adapt to the pitching timer and PitchCom system. Except for the first inning, the batting lineup had not yet regained its rhythm. Chinese Taipei will next play warm-up games against Japanese professional teams, and whether they can recover their form in time is seen as a key indicator before the Classic begins.