TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A former Major League Baseball star is helping a tiny Pacific island nation build its baseball program through Taiwan's sports diplomacy initiative. Wang Chien-ming (王建民), once the ace pitcher for the New York Yankees and now a pitching coach for the Brothers (中信兄弟) team in Taiwan's premier baseball league, the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL, 中華職業棒球大聯盟), conducted a special training session for the Palau national baseball team Monday (April 28) in Taipei. The Palauan players, visibly excited to meet the baseball icon, received personalized instruction on Wang's renowned sinker pitch while eagerly collecting his autograph.
The training program represents a coordinated diplomatic effort by Taiwan's government, with the Sports Administration (體育署), a division of Taiwan's Ministry of Education, enlisting the National Taiwan Sport University (國立體育大學) to host and develop the Palauan national team. The program specifically targets preparing Palau's athletes for their home-field appearance at the 12th Pacific Mini Games scheduled for June. Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠) personally recruited Wang to elevate the bilateral sports relationship. The former MLB star commended the Palauan pitchers' fundamental skills while offering technical refinements to their mechanics.
During the intensive workshop, Wang methodically demonstrated professional-level pitching fundamentals, including precise ball grip variations, biomechanically sound delivery postures, leg drive mechanics, and his signature sinker—a pitch that made him famous during his Major League career. Palau's assistant coach, Hubert Takeshi Rafael, characterized Wang's approach as "selfless" and noted the team's excitement leading up to the session. One participant, pitcher Ray Rdialul Rumong, emphasized how Wang's meticulous technical explanations had transformed their understanding of pitch control and the strategic importance of varying pitch selection.
The Sports Administration director expressed optimism that Taiwan's deep baseball infrastructure—the sport has been the island's national pastime for decades—would significantly benefit Palau's developing program, revealing that a series of exhibition matches have been arranged to provide competitive experience. Cheng pointed to the training initiative as exemplifying the type of international engagement that would expand under Taiwan's planned governmental reorganization, which includes elevating sports affairs to ministry-level status. These programs, he suggested, represent an increasingly important avenue for Taiwan to build international relationships through what officials term "sports diplomacy." ★