Liang Pei of China celebrates after hitting a home run during the sixth inning in the game against Japan at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, March 9, 2023. /CFP
Chinese baseball player Liang Pei described the home run he hit in the game against Japan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on March 9 as "a dream come true" in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on Friday.
Liang did this during the sixth inning of the game at Tokyo Dome in the Japanese capital city. China trailed 3-0 back then. He didn't expect to hit a home run when he batted the ball.
"I felt that I hit a double," Liang said. "But when I reached the second base, the park was so quiet and the ball was gone. I looked at my teammates in the dugout and found that they were all celebrating. Then I realized it's a homer."
Players of China celebrate after Liang Pei (#6) hits a home run during the sixth inning in the game against Japan at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, March 9, 2023. /CFP
Liang scored the first and the only run for China in the competition. "It has been my dream since I was a child to hit a home run at a grand stage like this," he told Xinhua.
Liang was born and raised in Japan, which has one of the world's top baseball teams. He attended a high school renowned for its baseball team but didn't make many appearances during his time there. Having graduated in 2017, Liang returned to China and joined the Beijing Tigers, helping the team win the national championship later.
"I find the setbacks in high school important because, without them that made me so upset, I wouldn't have been who I am today," Liang said in the interview.
Shohei Ohtani of Japan pitches in the game against China at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, March 9, 2023. /CFP
With the 2021 MLB American League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani on their roster, Japan is widely regarded as having sent their most dominant squad in national team history to this year's WBC. Liang used to see Ohtani as his hero, but after playing against Japan, he now considers the Japanese ace as his rival.
"I felt like I remember why I chose to play baseball in the first place. It's the same as it was when I was a kid," Liang said. "The Chinese national baseball team has been improving year by year. Our league will receive more attention after the World Baseball Classic. I believe we will our own 'Shohei Ohtani in the future.'"