In the footsteps of a hero
Sung’s success has inspired others to pursue baseball dreams of their own. Indeed, lots of Taiwanese students have decided to get an early start by enrolling in high school in Japan. Wu Nien-ting, who currently plays pro ball for the Saitama Seibu Lions, graduated from Kyousei High School in Japan’s Okayama Prefecture. And Fukuoka Daiichi High School, which we visited on our travels through Kyushu, is the alma mater of Yang Dai-kang, who immediately upon graduating from high school joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and is now playing for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Central League. Chang Yi, who performed so well in the 2019 WBSC Premier12 competition, is also a Fukuoka Daiichi alumnus.
Lan Huaiqian and Chen Changheng both played junior-high baseball in Taoyuan County before enrolling in Fukuoka Daiichi High School.
Traveling off to Japan to play high-school baseball is by no means the path of least resistance. On school days, after getting out of class at 3:30 p.m. the athletes train with barely a break straight through till eight or nine o’clock. Then on the weekends they play against other schools to familiarize themselves with many different kinds of competitors. Over three years of high school in Japan, the athletes don’t get a single day off, but they don’t complain a bit, because they’re on a mission to play pro ball in Japan.
Having played baseball virtually their whole lives, Lan and Chen have observed certain differences in the way student athletes train in Taiwan and Japan: “In Japan, they emphasize the fundamentals. They do a lot of running and practicing of basic skills, and everyone practices the same skills. But in Taiwan, different people have different training routines depending on what position they play.”
Chen Changheng says that, perhaps due to national character, their Japanese teammates play more cautiously and conservatively, but he feels their never-say-die attitude and their willingness to give 100% are traits that Taiwan would do well to emulate.
And Lan Huaiqian has noticed a big difference in the way Taiwanese and Japanese people approach the game: “In Taiwan we put a lot of emphasis on winning, and in order to win we are expected to execute whatever tactics the coach calls for. But a Japanese coach, in an ordinary game with another school, will generally take a more hands-off approach and let the players decide among themselves what they want to do. Players have a chance to build up experience that way.” Lan feels this is another area where Taiwan might learn from Japan.
The decision to play high-school ball in Japan has put their lives on a very different track from those of their old classmates. Now, Lan and Chen are thinking about where to continue their studies after high school so they can continue pursuing their baseball careers. When asked about his plans for the future, Lan answers without hesitation: “I’m going to keep at it, until I get into the pros.”
Lan Huai-chien (left) and Chen Chang-heng (right) have both staked their futures on baseball, and are making steady progress toward their goals.