Baseball Heroes Return Home

Taiwan's baseball team receives a hero's welcome at the airport after winning the WBSC Premier12 tournament for the first time.

Transcript

00:00Taiwan No. 1!

00:02Yeah!

00:04Huge crowds of people have descended on Taoran International Airport

00:07to wait for Taiwan's heroes,

00:09who won championship at the WBSE Premier 12 Baseball Tournament.

00:14Many people arrived here as early as 10 hours before the athletes flew in.

00:18Very good. Very positive.

00:23We want to win. We want the world to see Taiwan.

00:28At the beginning, we were not well-received.

00:31We even came in second.

00:33No one expected to win the championship.

00:37I think it's very exciting.

00:39And I think Taiwanese need a gold medal like this.

00:42It's a great encouragement.

00:44ListenTaiwan is the best!

00:46Everyone did a great job. Thank you.

00:50And the wait was worth it,

00:52as they were some of the first to see Taiwan's global champions off to the game.

00:58Cheng Jie-hsien! Cheng Jie-hsien!

01:02Among the players, the spotlight is shining on team leader Cheng Jie-hsien,

01:06who was named the 2024 Premier 12 MVP

01:10with a 0.625 batting average,

01:13with 15 hits and 24 at-bats, including two home runs.

01:17I'd like to thank my teammates,

01:20the coaching staff, and the logistics team.

01:22Everyone worked hard.

01:24We took it slow.

01:25We got to the best end, the best result.

01:28This is what makes us proud.

01:32This victory marks a significant milestone for Taiwan in the sport.

01:35It is the first time ever for Taiwan to claim top spot

01:38at any high-level international baseball event.

01:41And here, this victory is celebrated by Taiwan's adoring baseball fans.

01:45Chris Ma and Sani Ji in Taoyuan for Taiwan Plus.