[Epoch Times reporter Xue Mingzhu, Cupertino] The World Baseball Classic (WBC) fever has swept through the San Francisco Bay Area. On the evening of March 7th (Saturday), the Bay Area’s overseas Chinese community gathered at Duan Chunzhen Restaurant in Cupertino to cheer on the Chinese Taipei team playing at Tokyo Stadium in Japan. When the Chinese Taipei team ultimately defeated the South Korean team, the scene erupted in cheers.
In the match that day, the Chinese Taipei team defeated the South Korean team 5-4, achieving their first-ever victory against South Korea in the Classic and keeping their hopes of advancing to the next round alive.
Bay Area basketball fans watched the WBC live stream at Duan Chunzhen Restaurant, their expressions focused. (Xue Mingzhu/The Epoch Times)
That evening, many fans wore jerseys, held towels, and various cheering items to watch the live broadcast together. From the first inning, the atmosphere gradually heated up, with fans cheering with every pitch and hit, and almost no one left their seats throughout the game. When the game went into extra innings and the Taiwan team won at the crucial moment, the entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers, reaching the climax of the atmosphere.
Chen Wen-tse, the event’s initiator and founder of the North American Taiwan Baseball League, told The Epoch Times that the World Baseball Classic is the highest-level and most competitive international baseball tournament in the world, with national teams competing against numerous Major League Baseball players, thus attracting exceptional attention from fans. He said that the Bay Area has a large young population and a large number of baseball fans, who are very involved in this event and were therefore particularly excited to come and cheer for the Taiwan team.
Rommie Tsai and Andy Lin, owners of the Duan Chun-Chen restaurant, have long supported Taiwanese baseball. That evening, they offered a special limited-edition menu featuring sausages, beer, and fried chicken, and extended their business hours until the end of the game. The owner expressed her joy at seeing so many Taiwanese people gathered to cheer for the Chinese Taipei team.
Bradley, a 23-year-old international student in San Jose. (Xue Mingzhu/The Epoch Times)
Bradley, a 23-year-old international student in San Jose, said he doesn’t usually watch baseball, but he really enjoys attending these kinds of events. He said that there aren’t many opportunities in the Bay Area to get together with so many Taiwanese people and cheer for the Taiwanese team. Everyone connects through baseball, the “national sport,” creating a very enthusiastic atmosphere.
Bay Area engineer Dennis (first from left) rallied several friends to come and cheer for the Taiwan team. (Xue Mingzhu/The Epoch Times)
Dennis, an engineer in the Bay Area, said he has been watching baseball since the second grade of elementary school. After learning that the “North American Taiwanese Are Awesome” club was holding a viewing event at Duan Chun-chen’s club, he invited 10 friends who also love baseball to come and cheer for the Chinese Taipei team to go to Miami. He said that most of his friends are from Taiwan and have been in the Bay Area for about four or five years. They have been following baseball since they were young, so they especially support this game.
Young football fan Tang Youhan with his father. (Xue Mingzhu/The Epoch Times)
Many parents brought their children to watch the game, with the kids cheering for the Taiwan team alongside their parents. Young fan Tang Youhan said that because his father likes watching the Chinese Taipei team, he also likes baseball, and he thought the atmosphere was great and the food was delicious. Youhan’s father said that being able to cheer for the Chinese Taipei team with everyone, with everyone clapping and cheering together every time a team scored or went out, created a very enthusiastic atmosphere, and he hoped the Taiwan team would achieve good results.
David Shen with his daughter Shen Minghong. (Xue Mingzhu/The Epoch Times)
Engineer David Shen and his daughter Shen Ming-hong, who were dining at the restaurant, said they originally came to Duan Chun-zhen because they like beef noodles, but unexpectedly encountered a large group of fans watching the Taiwan team’s game. Seeing the constant cheers and enthusiastic atmosphere, the father and daughter were very happy to be able to cheer for the Taiwan team together with everyone. ◇