Wu Ming-chieh
Ace Pitcher of Kano
Japanese Rule
1911–1987
Wu Ming-chieh (1911–1987), born in Miaoli and of Hakka descent, was a baseball player who served as the ace pitcher and cleanup hitter of the Chiayi Agriculture and Forestry School (Kano) team and the very soul of the Kano legend. Under the strict Spartan training of coach Kondo Hyotaro, the Kano team—made up of a 'three-ethnic harmony' of Japanese, Han Chinese and indigenous players—was utterly transformed, winning the right to represent Taiwan in 1931 and travelling to Japan's Koshien tournament. In that contest, which stunned all of Japan, Wu became the focus of attention with his astonishing pitching and hitting: fierce in velocity, steady in control, and able to carry the team at the plate, he was hailed by the Japanese press as the 'Kirin child' (a prodigy). Kano fought its way through to the final, and although Wu injured and bled from a finger in a crucial game, he gritted his teeth and kept taking the mound to pitch, displaying remarkable will and sportsmanship. Kano finished as runner-up, glorious in defeat, and the name 'Kano of the realm' rang throughout Japan, writing an immortal page in the history of Taiwanese baseball. Afterward Wu went on to play for Waseda University in Japan, setting several batting records. His story with Kano later became an important subject of the film KANO and remains a symbol of the Taiwanese baseball spirit.
1931 Pitched as Kano's ace at the Koshien tournament
1931 Pitched on with an injured finger in the Koshien final, glorious in defeat
Ace Pitcher of Kano
Wu Ming-chieh
Era
Japanese Rule
Lifespan
1911–1987
Wu Ming-chieh (1911–1987), born in Miaoli and of Hakka descent, was a baseball player who served as the ace pitcher and cleanup hitter of the Chiayi Agriculture and Forestry School (Kano) team and the very soul of the Kano legend. Under the strict Spartan training of coach Kondo Hyotaro, the Kano team—made up of a 'three-ethnic harmony' of Japanese, Han Chinese and indigenous players—was utterly transformed, winning the right to represent Taiwan in 1931 and travelling to Japan's Koshien tournament. In that contest, which stunned all of Japan, Wu became the focus of attention with his astonishing pitching and hitting: fierce in velocity, steady in control, and able to carry the team at the plate, he was hailed by the Japanese press as the 'Kirin child' (a prodigy). Kano fought its way through to the final, and although Wu injured and bled from a finger in a crucial game, he gritted his teeth and kept taking the mound to pitch, displaying remarkable will and sportsmanship. Kano finished as runner-up, glorious in defeat, and the name 'Kano of the realm' rang throughout Japan, writing an immortal page in the history of Taiwanese baseball. Afterward Wu went on to play for Waseda University in Japan, setting several batting records. His story with Kano later became an important subject of the film KANO and remains a symbol of the Taiwanese baseball spirit.
1931 Pitched as Kano's ace at the Koshien tournament
1931 Pitched on with an injured finger in the Koshien final, glorious in defeat