Taiwan 23-year-old monster controls Tokyo Dome and dreams of entering NPB
Gurin Lueyang pitched against Japan in the first game of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) qualifying round at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 16th, allowing three hits (one home run) in six ⅔ innings, two strikeouts and one run with no outs. With Taiwan losing 0-4, where the batting line did not break, Gurin Luyang became a losing pitcher, but he made his name known to Japan through the game.
From the start of the first inning to one out in the sixth inning, he showed his power with a perfect march of 16 consecutive batters. He drew the bats of Japanese batters by continuously putting sliders and fork balls in the strike zone with a maximum speed of 154 kilometers from short takebacks. There were not many strikeouts with two, but pitching worked by hitting it with a fast tempo.
After one out in the sixth inning, Makoto Kadoki hit a double to break the perfect score, and Shota Morishita was allowed a solo home run in the seventh inning, but Kureen Luiyang's pitch was enough to surprise Japan. When he was replaced by two outs in the seventh inning and went down the mound, Japanese fans at Tokyo Dome applauded.
Japanese media also heavily reported Gurin Rui's good pitching. Japanese baseball media "Full Count" said, "A 23-year-old pitcher who surprised Japan wants to challenge the NPB," adding, "I don't know when to throw it in the NPB, but I think it's better to remember Gurin Lueyang's name from now on."
In an official interview after the match, Taiwanese coach Chun Jin-peng said, "It was great. "I pitched 100 points," he praised Gurin Leuyang. Japanese coach Hirokazu Ibata also said, "I gave one run, but it was really great. He is a pitcher who can play in the strike zone. There are only a few pitchers like this in Japan. "He is a pitcher who can aim for the world."
"As a player, I want to challenge myself on a much bigger stage. I admire both the Japanese professional team and the U.S. Major League Baseball. "If I have a chance, I want to go," he said, revealing his dream of entering NPB in the future.
Gurin Luyang, a right-handed orthodox pitcher with a physique of 183 centimeters and 88 kilograms, made his debut with the Taiwanese professional baseball team (CPBL) Tung Lions in 2019. So far this year, all 49 games in five years have been started and thrown 259 innings, recording 22 wins and 13 losses with a 2.88 strikeout. This year, he played in 13 games (80 innings) with five wins, two losses and a 1.80 strikeout average with 52 strikeouts. His ball control has improved to the point where he reduced his walks to 1.7 per nine innings.
Gurin Luyang, who was selected as the CPBL All-Star for the last two years in a row, also pitched well against South Korea at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He appeared in relief as the second pitcher after starter Lin Yu-min in the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead over South Korea in the first game of the preliminary round on the 2nd of last month, and recorded a hold with one hit, two strikeouts, and no runs in two innings. He hit a double over center field by Noh Si-hwan, but he contributed to Taiwan's 4-0 victory by cooking the remaining six batters. The stock price of Gurin Luiyang, which has made a strong impression against Japan following Korea every month, is soaring.