Hurst Bruce, the pitcher coach of the Chinese national baseball team, hopes his favorite player Zhu Dawei, nicknamed the "Golden Mine", will shine in China's game against the Czech Republic.
"That will be Zhu's first international match in which he will stands for Chinese team. I strongly hope that he will show us a brilliant performance," Bruce said.
The "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Baseball Tournament opened at west Beijng's Wukesong Baseball Field on August 18. In the opening match, Chinese national team makes a convincing 5-1 victory over his French opponent.
Zhu Dawei, 19, with a height of 185cm, was born in Shanghai. When he was 11, his parents took him to Japan for education.
Never taking any professional training before though, his pitched ball speed could reach 145km/hr, which has already approached a professional player's result.
Therefore, he was nicknamed as "baseball wonder child."
Last year, Zhu Dawei took part in the draft of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and was picked by Seibu Club.
According to Bruce, Zhu's parents are both volleyball players and their son inherit their sports genes. Zhu Dawei has an excellent physical quality. He can not only throw a fast ball but can also pitch good curve.
"A good pitcher is the soul of a team, which our team needs a lot," stressed Bruce. "Maybe Zhu's weakness lies in his few match experience which made his performance not stable. However, he needs to prove himself in the future matches."
Faced with Japanese journalists, Zhu Dawei said in fluent Japanese at the press conference following the French game he missed.
"I am very excited and look forward to playing for my national team. I will try my best," he said.
It is said that Zhu Dawei was named as China's baseball version of NBA star Yao Ming by Japanese media.
Source: Xinhua
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