Chinese Taipei, representing the Asia-Pacific region in the Little League World Series, was utterly dominant against Canada Thursday.
Three pitchers, led by the dominant Fan Chen-Jun, combined to blank Canada in a 6-0 win. Chen-Jun struck out nine of the 11 batters he faced, with his showing culminating in an immaculate inning in the third.
Chen-Jun’s 80 mph fastball and 70 mph slider were the stars of the show throughout the game. Even more incredibly, Chen-Jun is just 12 years old.
Chiu Tse-Wei and Cai Yuan-Hao struck out five of the last seven batters over the course of the next 2 1/3 innings. All things told, Chinese Taipei struck out 14 of the 18 Canadian batters it faced.
Who is Fan Chen-Jun?
Chen-Jun’s performance was so utterly dominant, it had those watching commenting on the movement he got on his pitches. The 80 mph fastball and 71 mph slider were completely overwhelming for the competition he was facing.
Fan Chen-Jun, Immaculate Inning. 😇
T81mph pic.twitter.com/3M6ipSsJn7
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 17, 2023
Just 12 years old, Chen-Jun threw only 35 pitches in his outing. He garnered swings and misses on 16 of them.
MORE: How old are Little League World Series players?
Chen-Jun also swings a big stick. He hit a two-run homer in the third inning to cap off a three-run third.
What is the LLWS age limit?
The Little League World Series welcomes players aged 10 to 12, putting Chen-Jun at the far end of the spectrum.
Chen-Jun, 12, is clearly gifted for his age.
13-year-old ballplayers could participate in the LLWS until 2018, but a rule passed took teenagers out of the equation.
LLWS mound distance
Contributing to Chen-Jun’s dominance is the contracted field.
The rubber is just 46 feet away from home plate in the LLWS, a far cry from the 60 feet, 6 inches of an MLB mound. That means Chen-Jun’s 80 mph fastball is akin to a 105 mph fastball at the MLB level.
In other words: Good luck.
Fan Chen-Jun (81mph Fastball) vs. Jordan Hicks (105mph Fastball), Reaction time. pic.twitter.com/aCPNlQhOK8
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 17, 2023
LLWS pitching rules
Per LLWS rules, 11 to 12-year-old pitchers can throw as many as 85 pitches in a game, whereas 10 year olds are topped off at 75. Chen-Jun was pulled after just 35.
MORE: Little League World Series teams, ages, pitch count
That would make him eligible for Chinese Taipei’s next game against the winner of Japan and Mexico. Chinese Taipei’s next game will be Monday, Aug. 21.
With his 35-pitch showing, Chen-Jun is required to get just one day of rest.
| Pitches | Days of rest |
|---|---|
| 66-85 | 4 |
| 51-65 | 3 |
| 36-50 | 2 |
| 21-35 | 1 |
| 1-20 | 0 |
When was the last LLWS perfect game?
Thursday’s perfect performance was the third time Chinese Taipei has faced the minimum in a Little League World Series showdown, the most of any country.
The last LLWS perfect game before Chen-Jun paved the way against Canada was in 2017, when North Carolina was perfect against South Dakota.
Chinese Taipei’s showing was just the eight perfect game in LLWS history.