The development of sports culture is inseparable from the nurturing of the next generation who will shoulder the future.Liao Chien-Fu, a player for the Rakuten Monkeys, who has been active since his teens, is undoubtedly a player that children look up to and aspire to be.Even he was once a boy who dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player and continued to strive for it.

Liao, the player, began to stand out in his rookie season in 2017, and though he sadly did not reach the required number of plate appearances in his second year, he marked an impressive batting average of .387.He was greatly anticipated as “the 40% man at 19 years old.”Since then, he has been active as a “hitting catcher” leading the team.Though entrusted with the main role at a young age, the pressure is immeasurable.In this context, the “communication with colleagues” that he practices not only alleviates the looming pressure, but also contributes to enhancing the unity of the team.Liao, who has realized his own dreams and become a figurehead for Taiwanese Baseball, speaks of a future that only he can envision.

――Liao player went on a rampage in the first half of the 2023 season, with a batting average of .328, 10 home runs, and 41 RBIs.If you were to rate your performance last term on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the ideal player you aspire to be, what score would you give yourself?

It’s about 70 points.If you look at just the first half, I think we’ve achieved good numbers, but there’s still half of the season left.Entering the second half with a good momentum, I want to keep working hard without being satisfied with the current situation, in order to lead to a victory.

――Liao has been active since his teens, but how does he plan to grow in the future?

I haven’t yet considered things from a long-term perspective, but first and foremost, I want to focus on maintaining my daily health and other immediate matters.The position of catcher puts a lot of strain on the body, and there have been instances in the past where I couldn’t play in a game due to injury. So, I want to be mindful of my body moving forward.

――I imagine there must be a considerable amount of pressure on player Liao, who at a young age, is bearing the burden of being the backbone of the team.How do you try to face pressure?

Instead of dealing with it all by myself, I make sure to communicate with my teammates to objectively observe the situation.The condition of teams and individuals can vary, with both good times and bad times.That’s why we discuss and share with teammates to alleviate the pressure.Talking with friends makes you feel at ease, doesn’t it?

――Where do you think the current strength of the Rakuten Monkeys originates from?

Although this overlaps with what I said earlier, I believe that the team’s unity is strong.We often have conversations among ourselves, and both the young and the veterans are playing with all their might.The veteran players lead the team, and the young players desperately hang on.Such a culture has been established, hasn’t it?We hold team meetings before and after the game, where we all get together to boost our morale and reflect on our performance. I feel that such discussions contribute to our sense of unity.Baseball is a team sport, so I feel that I can become stronger by honing my skills with my teammates.

――Do you think that Liao will become a leading figure in Taiwanese Baseball in the future, and what do you feel is necessary for the league to further develop?

Currently, there are only five teams across all of Taiwan (planned to be six from 2024), so I think it would be good to increase the number of teams even more.As the number of teams increases, so does the number of people who can perform professionally, and more children will become interested in Baseball, inspired by such figures.By doing so, I believe we can increase the overall population of Baseball players and improve the level of Baseball in Taiwan.

――Could you please give some advice to children who aspire to become professional Baseball players in the future?

It is important to keep dreaming and strive towards it.Ever since I was young, I always wanted to become a professional Baseball player. By continuously striving and putting in the effort, I was able to make it a reality.There were many walls that had to be overcome, but I believe that it was precisely because I had high goals that I was able to challenge even the difficult things.I hope that children who aspire to become professionals will work hard to realize their dreams.

INTERVIEW: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS) TEXT: Kodai Wada