South Williamsport, Pa. (AP) — Taiwan captured its first Little League World Series championship since 1996 on Sunday, defeating Nevada 7-0 behind a near-perfect performance from 12-year-old pitcher Lin Chin-Tse. The victory ended a 29-year title drought for the Taiwanese, who remain the most successful international team in tournament history with 18 titles, second only to the United States.
Lin was outstanding on the mound, retiring the first 13 batters he faced and surrendering just one hit over five innings. He also starred at the plate, delivering a three-run triple in Taiwan’s decisive five-run fifth inning. With his fastball reaching speeds over 80 mph — the equivalent of much faster pitches at this level given the shortened 46-foot mound distance — Lin overpowered Nevada’s hitters and kept them off balance throughout. “In the first inning, I was very nervous, but after that it was smooth,” Lin said through an interpreter.
Taiwan’s defense-first strategy proved successful once again, with the team allowing only three runs in the entire tournament — all of them against Venezuela. Manager Lai Min-Nan credited the approach, saying: “If the other team cannot get any runs, there’s no way they can win this tournament.” Nevada managed just one baserunner in the fifth inning when Garrett Gallegos singled to left, but the rally was quickly erased by a double play.
Offensively, Taiwan capitalized on Nevada’s mistakes, turning wild pitches, passed balls, and throwing errors into scoring opportunities. Jian Zih-De scored the opening run on a wild pitch in the second inning, while Chen Shi-Rong came home on a throwing error in the third. Lin’s triple in the fifth stretched the lead before another error allowed both him and Tsai Yu-Ge to score, putting the game out of reach.
As Chen Yi-Reng secured the final out with a catch in left field, Taiwan’s players tossed their gloves into the air and celebrated on the mound, marking the nation’s return to the top of youth baseball. For Nevada, playing in its first-ever championship game, the loss did little to overshadow the team’s remarkable journey. “They will be heroes upon arrival in Las Vegas,” said manager T.J. Fescher. The last international team to win the tournament was Japan in 2017, but this time, it was Taiwan’s turn to reclaim its place among the greats of Little League history.
