Taiwanese pitcher Wang Yan-cheng wins over Hanwha fans

Hanwha Eagles pitcher Wang Yan-cheng smiles after an interview with the Hankook Ilbo at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on April 12, raising a finger as he signals his aim to reach greater heights. Photo by Kim Hyung-jun

Two wins in three starts, no losses, a 0.24 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.

For “Taiwanese prince” Wang Yan-cheng, who joined Hanwha Eagles under the Asian quota player system, the numbers are proof of how quickly the 25-year-old pitcher has settled into the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with his dominant pitching. He currently ranks fourth in the league in wins, ERA and WHIP.

In last Saturday’s game against the Kia Tigers, Wang looked set for another win after giving up just one run over six innings, only for the bullpen to blow it after his exit. Had he received a little more support, Wang could have been leading the league in wins.

Even so, he remained humble. “I still have a long way to go,” he said in an interview with the Hankook Ilbo.

Wang Yan-cheng sheds tears after earning a win in his first start in the Korea Baseball Organization on March 31. Courtesy of Hanwha Eagles

Wang remains modest, but manager sees an ace

Hanwha fans are already ecstatic about the Taiwanese pitcher. Hailing the signing of Wang as a “jackpot,” they say the club may have landed one of the biggest bargains of the season, given that his deal was worth $100,000, well below the salary cap for Asian quota players. Manager Kim Kyung-moon went even further, saying the Taiwanese left-hander is “close to being the ace of the team.”

The man of the hour, however, was cautious.

“Other teams will study my pitches and try to exploit my weaknesses,” he said. “I will focus on preparing for that as well.”

Another challenge ahead for Wang is adjusting to the KBO’s four- to five-day rotation, compared with the weekly schedule he was used to in Japan.

Throughout the interview, Wang was deeply thoughtful about pitch sequencing. Though he has already earned praise for his ability to mix his fastball, sinker and sweeper effectively, he said he still needs to have more conversations with his catcher, the analytics staff and the coaching staff.

“There’s still a lot to improve,” Wang said. “In particular, I need to work on finishing games stronger rather than coming off the mound before the job is done, whether that means increasing my pitch count or pitching deeper into games.”

In contrast to Wang’s measured assessment of himself, fans have shown strong enthusiasm for the Taiwanese pitcher, with online communities filled with posts from supporters saying they want to buy his jersey.

Upon hearing this, Wang burst into laughter, saying he had yet to see any fans wearing his jersey. There is a reason for this: The club has not yet released name and number patches for Wang, meaning an official Wang Yan-cheng jersey is not yet available for purchase.

Jerseys for foreign players are generally not sold early in the season, as clubs leave room for possible replacements in the event of injury or underperformance, while production of the patches also takes time.

Some fans have decided to take matters into their own hands, writing Wang Yan-cheng’s name on Hanwha Eagles jerseys themselves. At Hanwha Life Ballpark on Sunday, jerseys bearing his name were easy to spot, offering a glimpse of just how popular he has become early in the season.

Wang Yan-cheng pitches against the Kiwoom Heroes in a 2026 Korea Baseball Organization game at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, March 29. Captured from Hanwha Eagles social media

Raised on TWICE, hooked on ‘Culinary Class Wars’

Wang’s first season with Hanwha makes an important turning point in his baseball career. For the first time, he has taken on the weighty role of a full-time starter, putting behind him his earlier years as a developmental player with Japan’s Rakuten.

Fortunately for him, he has a fellow left-hander and veteran former MLB player, Ryu Hyun-jin, on the same team.

“Whenever something comes to mind or I run into something that troubles me, I go to Ryu and ask him,” Wang said. “As a fellow left-hander, I’ve been learning from him how to maintain balance in my delivery, how to stay mentally composed on the mound and what kind of mindset to have when I pitch.”

Wang Yan-cheng is only the second Taiwanese national to play in the KBO, following Wang Wei-chung, who pitched for the NC Dinos in 2018.

Wang Yan-cheng has also adjusted quickly to life in Korea, recently adding basic Korean conversation to a language repertoire that already includes fluent Chinese, Japanese and English, leaving team staff and teammates astonished and earning him praise as a linguistic genius.

For Wang, the experience of living in Korea has been exciting so far. He said he had been listening to girl group TWICE since high school and watching Korean shows such as “Culinary Class Wars.”

“It’s fascinating to see Korean words I had only encountered in dramas and video content come to life right in front of me,” he said with a broad smile.

Wrapping up the interview, Wang expressed gratitude to Hanwha fans for their passionate support, saying it had far surpassed his expectations.

“I was surprised and grateful to see so many fans coming to away games to cheer us on,” he said. “I’ll continue to do my best through the end of the season, and I hope fans will keep supporting us.”

Asked what he hopes to do after the season ends, Wang smiled and said, “I’ll think about that after doing my best in every game this season.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.