TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Pitcher Hsu Jo Hsi (徐若熙) donned the No. 18 jersey for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (福岡軟銀鷹隊) during a press conference in Fukuoka on Friday (Dec. 26), marking his official entry into Japan's professional baseball league. Known for his impressive fastball speed of up to 158 km/h, Hsu exercised his free agency rights in the offseason to join the Hawks.
Kenji Johjima (城島健司), the Hawks' chief baseball officer, noted that the No. 18 jersey symbolizes an ace in Japan, and the team had no hesitation in bestowing this number on Hsu. The Hawks, actively recruiting Taiwanese pitchers like Chang Chun-wei (張峻瑋) and Hsu, have shown confidence in the abilities of Taiwanese high school players, which Johjima stated rival those of Japanese players.
Hsu has been included in Taiwan's 43-man roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will commence in March. Johjima emphasized that the team will not obstruct Hsu's participation. The roster also features Gu Lin Ruei-yang(古林睿煬) and Sun I-lei (孫易磊), with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (日職火腿隊) agreeing to release them.
Hsu expressed his willingness to join the national team, though the final decision rests with the coaching staff. Tseng Hao-Chu (曾豪駒), head coach of the Taiwanese team, revealed that Fairchild, a Taiwanese-American player in Major League Baseball, is ready to compete.
