Who is Fan Chen-Jun? All you need to know about Taiwan Little League World Series phenom, drawing comparisons to Shohei Ohtani

On August 18, pitcher Fan Chen-Jun completed the first perfect game at the Little League World Series since 2017. Now, the young arm is drawing comparisons to some of the strongest arms in the game.

Although the perfect game was a combined effort, Fan was undoubtedly the star of the show. The 12-year old struck out 9 of the 11 batters he faced, including an immaculate inning in the third as Taiwan beat Canada 6-0.

"Chinese Taipei pitcher Fan Chen-Jun throwing gas up to 80 mph with a 71 mph slider against Canada at the LLWS." - Prospect Dugout

Chinese Taipei is representing the Asia-Pacific Region at the 76th annual Little League World Series. Over that period, the small Asian island nation has taken home 17 LLWS titles.

Fan Chen-Jun throws with the velocity of a pitcher far older than he is. Several fastballs were recorded in the low 80s during the outing against Canada, with several breaking pitches hitting the mid-70s. The performance has drawn comparisons to Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels.

Following their win over Canada, Fan Chen-Jun and Chinese Taipei bested Japan in a 10-0 routing before overcoming Curacao by a score of 9-1, booking a berth in the International Semifinal on August 26.

The 2023 Little League World Series features ten teams from the USA and ten teams from the International community. The winners of each brackets will play for the tournament in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania on August 27.

"Chinese Taipei threw a combined perfect game in the Little League World Series! It's the first perfect game in the LLWS since 2017" - Jomboy Media

The tear from Fan's team has given fresh life to baseball in Taiwan, especially after the team failed to emerge from the first round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic in March. However, several Taiwanese players, such as former New York Yankees pitcher Chien Ming-Wang, have hailed from Fan's homeland.

Fan Chen-Jun gives hope for the future of baseball in Taiwan

Often overlooked in favor of other regional baseball powerhouses like Japan and South Korea, Taiwan has punched above its weight when it comes to producing elite baseball talent. While no player from the island has ever achieved Shohei Ohtani-level status, if Fan keeps pitching like he has in this eye-opening tournament, then he has the chance to become the face of the most popular sport in his country.