TAIPEI (TVBS News) — San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威) is actively pursuing participation in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Justice delos Santos, a reporter for The Mercury News, shared on social media Wednesday (Dec. 10). Teng is communicating with his team to secure approval to represent Taiwan in the international tournament. The 26-year-old pitcher seeks to join Taiwan's roster for the prestigious baseball competition.
Teng made his MLB debut on March 30, 2024, becoming the 17th Taiwanese player in Major League Baseball (MLB). This season, Teng pitched in eight games, including seven starts, earning a 2-4 win-loss record and a 6.37 earned run average (ERA) over 29.2 innings. He struck out 39 batters, raising his career total to 46 and surpassing Ni Fu-tei's (倪福德) 43 strikeouts to rank fifth among Taiwanese pitchers in MLB history.
Teng earned his first career win after returning to the majors in August and delivered a standout performance against the Colorado Rockies in September, pitching 5.1 innings and striking out eight. He is the first Taiwanese pitcher since Wei-Yin Chen (陳偉殷) in 2018 to secure a win as a starter in MLB. Pittsburgh Pirates' Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguer Lin Yu-Min (林昱珉) also expressed their willingness to represent Taiwan for the 2026 WBC. ◼