Cleveland Guardians Outfielder Fairchild ‘Excited’ to Represent Taiwan at WBC

Cleveland: Stuart Fairchild, an outfielder with the Cleveland Guardians organization, said he was "excited and honored" to play for Taiwan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC) in a video released by the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) Sunday. Fairchild was joined on the 30-man WBC roster released by the CPBL Friday by fellow Taiwanese-American Jonathon Long, who plays in the Chicago Cubs' minor league system. According to Focus Taiwan, although Fairchild is currently with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, he has made appearances in the majors for the Guardians as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Atlanta Braves. In the video, Fairchild expressed his enthusiasm about playing for Taiwan, stating he was "excited and honored" for the opportunity. He also thanked fans for their support and looked forward to seeing them at the ballpark in Tokyo. Speaking with CNA on Sunday, CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang expressed gratitude towards F airchild for agreeing to play in the WBC and mentioned ongoing efforts to finalize the schedule for overseas-based players to return to Taiwan for training. Other MLB-affiliated players on Taiwan's roster include Lin Yu-min of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Lin Wei-en of the Athletics, both invited to their teams' spring training camps. Lin Yu-min's inclusion was highlighted by South Korean sports outlet OSEN, which referred to the pitcher as the "Korea Killer" for his performances at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Premier12. OSEN also reported on Taiwan's progression from an underdog to a formidable opponent for Korea, with national team pitcher Ko Young-pyo expressing a desire to face Taiwan again. Taiwan's roster also boasts two high-velocity pitchers from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, Gu Lin Ruei-yang and Hsu Jo-hsi, recognized as the CPBL's top domestic pitchers in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The team, captained by 2024 WBSC Premier12 MVP Chen Chieh-hsien, comprises 16 pitchers, thre e catchers, and 11 position players.