Hillsborough LL hosts Taiwan All-Star team

The Taiwan 11-year-old All-Stars from Da Ren Elementary touched down at San Francisco International Airport Sunday to play an exhibition schedule of six games, along with two competitive tournaments, in the Bay Area. The most recent stop came Tuesday as Hillsborough Little League hosted the boys from Taichung.

“We have a really prosperous baseball program here in Hillsborough Little League … and when the opportunity arises, it’s great to be able to put these two teams together,” Hillsborough’s Mayor Marie Chuang said.

Chuang is a native of Taichung, Taiwan who immigrated to the U.S. when she was 16. Her city played host with a ceremonious event Tuesday at Hillsborough LL Field, complete with a pregame ceremony, a home run derby and an exhibition game with Hillsborough winning 6-2.

For Jui-Cheng, his team’s Bay Area baseball tour is something of a mustard seed for a sport that has long flourished at the Little League level in Taiwan, but has seen few Taiwanese break through to Major League Baseball. Taiwan has captured 17 Little League World Series championships, with four of those by Taichung, including the country’s first title in 1969. Yet just four Taiwan-born players have made appearances in MLB this season.

Said Chuang while interpreting for Jui-Cheng: “When he started playing baseball, they all heard about Williamsport. That was the Mecca of Little League baseball … so they wanted to do all they had to do to get there. The first time he was able to get there and experience the field, that was just so incredible.

“Twenty-seven years later, the fire is still burning, the dream is still alive in his heart … but also he’s looking at it as a training point and how he can enrich the game for the kids.”

Taiwan showcased some serious talent as well, as leadoff hitter Cheng-Hao Wu impressed in the home run derby and shined in the exhibition game. Cheng-Hao launched the first home run of the derby, but what was more impressive was the fluid contact the sweet-swinging left-handed hitter demonstrated on nearly every swing.

And that fluid swing carried over into the game as he went 3 for 4 with a double.

According to Cheng-Hao, the double was the highlight of his night, “because it was the furthest one that got him to second base,” the 11-year-old said through an interpreter.

Not to be outdone, Hillsborough left-hander Dylan Kall enjoyed a spectacular performance as well. He didn’t live up to expectations in the home run derby, failing to hit a single homer. In the game though, Kall shined both sides of the ball.

On the mound, he worked 2 2/3 innings as Hillsborough’s starting pitcher to earn the win. And at the plate, all he did was go 4 for 4 with a single, a homer, a double and a triple to hit for the cycle, including his two-run homer in the third inning giving Hillsborough a 3-2 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.

“I was thinking about doing good in the home run derby, but that didn’t happen,” Kall said. “… It was kind of ironic, actually. I was using a (livelier) MAKO bat in the home run derby and didn’t hit any. Then in the game I used a regular bat and hit a home run.”

Taiwan has now played three exhibition games since arriving Sunday, including a game later that Sunday afternoon hosted by the Millbrae Lions Club little leaguers. Taiwan also played a team from Los Gatos. Tuesday’s game against Hillsborough marked their first loss.

Taiwan is also scheduled to play in two tournaments, one in Manteca and another in Sunnyvale.