It might not have been perfect, but for Chinese Taipei it was still pretty great. Behind a dazzling two-way performance from Lin Chin-Tse, Chinese Taipei defeated Nevada 7-0 in the Little League World Series championship game Sunday, clinching the country’s 18th LLWS crown — and its first since 1996. The victory ended a 29-year drought for one of the sport’s most storied programs and cemented Chinese Taipei as the most successful nation in Little League history outside of the United States.
Lin, a 12-year-old right-hander from Taipei, retired the first 13 batters he faced and allowed just one hit across five innings. He struck out seven and at times overpowered Nevada’s lineup, flashing a fastball that touched 80 mph — a daunting challenge at a level where the mound sits only 46 feet from home plate.
When Chen Yi-Reng caught the final out in left field, Chinese Taipei’s players flung their gloves skyward and stormed the mound in celebration, a moment nearly three decades in the making.
“It means so much for our country,” manager Wu Cheng-Kai said through an interpreter. “These boys worked hard, and today they showed the heart of Taipei baseball.”
Lin was just as dangerous at the plate, delivering the decisive blow with a bases-clearing triple in Chinese Taipei’s five-run fifth inning. Later in the same frame, he scored on a throwing error, and Tsai Yu-Ge added another run to stretch the lead to 7-0.
Chinese Taipei also capitalized on Nevada’s mistakes. In the second inning, Jian Zih-De worked a walk and later scored on a wild pitch. Chen Shi-Rong came home in the third after a throwing error to first base. In all, Taipei turned four wild pitches, a passed ball, and two defensive miscues into critical runs.
Nevada, playing in its first-ever LLWS championship game, managed just one baserunner all afternoon. Garrett Gallegos broke up Lin’s bid for perfection with a single in the fifth, but he was quickly erased on a double play.
“We just couldn’t figure him out,” Nevada manager Tim Miranda said. “He’s the best pitcher we’ve seen.”
For Chinese Taipei, the victory is another chapter in a rich history that includes five straight titles from 1977 to 1981. The program once dominated the Little League stage but had not hoisted the trophy since 1996.
Over the course of the tournament, Taipei’s pitching was virtually untouchable, allowing only three runs — all in a 7-3 win over Venezuela.
The last international team to win the Little League World Series before Sunday was Japan in 2017.
As Lin soaked in the moment with his teammates, the drought-ending triumph was already destined to echo back home.
