USA vs. Chinese Taipei: WBSC Premier 12 Super Round preview, projected starters, odds and picks - Nov 22, MLB 2024
After both being dealt losses in their first games of the Premier 12 Super Round, Team USA will face off against Chinese Taipei on Friday. With a first pitch slated for noon, the venue will be the Tokyo Dome.
After strong early-tournament showings from both clubs, both Team USA and Chinese Taipei emerged from the group stage. Taipei went 4-1 in the group stage, with their only loss coming to Japan. USA meanwhile, went 3-2 in the group stage.
Premier 12 2024 - Team USA vs Team Taiwan
The Super Round of the tournament consists of a round-robin between the top four teams in the group stage. For both the USA and Chinese Taipei, losses came in their first games of the Super Round.
"En-Sih Huang - Chia-Cheng Lin. Top Elite defensive play by Chinese Taipei. #Premier12 @Premier12" - WBSC
In the first game, a two-run home run from Oakland Athletics minor leaguer Carlos Perez in the second inning was all Venezuela needed to beat Chinese Taipei. Despite outhitting the Venezuelans 7-6, Chinese Taipei lost 2-0.
The fate of Team USA in the first game of the Premier 12 Super Round was even more humiliating. As a roster with limited MLB talent, the Americans are not faring as well as some expected. Despite a strong first four innings from Boston Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill, the American bullpen came apart. Japan hit them around, winning 9-1.
Starting Pitchers
TAI: Po-Ching Chen (陳柏清)
Po-Ching Chen will get the ball for Chinese Taipei in the tournament. A 26-year-old, Chen plays for the HSG Hawks of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. As a rookie in 2024, Chen went 6-10 with a 3.53 ERA. Chen also came within seven outs of throwing a no-hitter in April.
"NO-HITTER ALERT. The TSG Hawks' 陳柏清 (Chen Po-Ching) has not allowed a hit thought 7 innings. #CPBL" - CBPL Stats
USA: Zac Grotz
31-year-old right-hander Zac Grotz will get the ball for Team USA. Currently pitching in the Dominican Winter League, Grotz's only MLB experience came as a result of 19 appearances out of the Seattle Mariners bullpen in 2019 and 2020.
Odds
Given that both teams have done well, but not excelled, the bookmaker odds are fairly even for this Premier 12 showdown. While the odds favor Team USA by a slight margin, it does not disqualify a surprise win by Chinese Taipei.
Despite their tough loss to Japan, the USA is still one of the better teams in the Premier 12 tournament. Expect the Americans to come out of this fixture with a victory.