Liu Zhirong Returns to Taiwan After Debuting for Rakuten Eagles

Liu Chih-jung, the Taiwanese baseball standout who transitioned from the United States minor leagues to Japanese professional baseball, recently returned to Taiwan to participate in a highly anticipated baseball event. This marks his first time returning to his hometown to play while wearing the uniform of a foreign professional team since joining the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Reflecting on this shift in identity and environment, he admitted to experiencing quite unique feelings inside. Having spent many years striving within the U.S. professional baseball system, enduring long minor league seasons, high-intensity competition, and the challenges of living abroad, his transition to Japanese professional baseball—known for its similarly high standards—represents not only a brand-new chapter in his athletic career, but also means having to once again adapt to a completely different baseball culture, training philosophy, and living environment.

Speaking about his current adaptation status with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Liu Chih-jung displayed an optimistic and well-adjusted attitude, speaking particularly highly of Sendai's famous local cuisine and declaring that the beef tongue in Sendai is truly delicious. Using food to integrate into local culture is often an important channel for many overseas players to alleviate homesickness and relax their body and mind. Beyond the comfort of food, interpersonal interactions and cultural transmission within the team have also played a crucial role. Notably, high school junior Hsu Hsiang-sheng, who plays for the same Rakuten Golden Eagles team, provided considerable practical assistance when Liu Chih-jung first stepped into the NPB environment, offering guidance on Japanese in daily life and helping him understand the cultural nuances within Japanese society and the team, allowing the newly arrived pitcher to integrate into the overall team more quickly and smoothly.

Reviewing Liu Chih-jung's baseball development path, he possesses exceptional physical qualities and pitching talent, having been the focus of attention for domestic and international scouts since his student days. Before joining the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), he demonstrated formidable dominance in both pitching velocity and the movement of his breaking balls. Although he encountered the trials of injuries and the growing pains of adjustment periods during his development within the U.S. system, these valuable experiences have transformed into nourishment for him to step onto higher-level stages in the future. Now choosing to transition to Japanese professional baseball, for a pitcher, the sophisticated hitting skills of NPB batters, the rigorous demands teams place on pitching strategies, and the cheering culture displayed by fans in the stands are all brand-new subjects to learn. Relying on the mental resilience accumulated in the MLB system, paired with the meticulous training environment of the NPB, Liu Chih-jung is expected to unlock even greater potential in his technical aspects.

On the other hand, as Liu Chih-jung's junior from high school, the two gathering in the same Japanese professional baseball team in a foreign land is in itself a much-discussed piece of Taiwanese baseball folklore. Hsu Hsiang-sheng, having previously entered the NPB system through the draft or other channels, had already accumulated a certain degree of familiarity with the local language, lifestyle habits, and the strict senior-junior hierarchy and discipline of Japanese professional baseball clubs. When senior Liu Chih-jung joined with his rich international tournament experience and U.S. professional experience, Hsu Hsiang-sheng instead played the role of a "tour guide" regarding daily life details and language communication. This picture of Taiwanese players supporting each other overseas and seniors and juniors working with one heart in NPB not only demonstrates the warm human touch of the Taiwanese baseball community, but also highlights the cohesion displayed by Taiwanese players when adapting to life abroad.

From the MLB system to Japanese professional baseball, Liu Chih-jung's movements have consistently captivated the hearts of Taiwanese fans. Japanese professional baseball has always been renowned for its high-tension game rhythm and the ultimate demand for fundamentals. For a pitcher transitioning from the U.S. system, how to adjust pitching strategies to cope with Japanese hitters who possess extraordinary ability to battle through at-bats will be the key to establishing a firm foothold in the top-tier squad. This trip back to Taiwan to play with the team is not only an excellent opportunity for Liu Chih-jung to showcase the results of his time in Japan to his hometown fans, but also an important moment for him to build confidence within his new team. With the comfort of food, the support of the club, and the thoughtful guidance in language and culture from high school junior Hsu Hsiang-sheng, Liu Chih-jung has taken a quite steady and solid first step in facing the brand-new NPB challenge. His future performances with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles are bound to continuously remain the focus of attention in the Taiwanese baseball community.